Dancing on Broken Glass
by fuzzydream
Summary: Modern AU. Anna is a successful ballet teacher with a charming boyfriend. John is a single dad who is going through his second divorce. When Anna becomes John's daughter's ballet teacher, everything can change. Will they give into their feelings?
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Dancing on Broken Glass

**Summary:** Modern AU. Anna is a successful ballet teacher with a charming boyfriend. John is a single dad who is going through his second divorce. When Anna becomes John's daughter's ballet teacher, everything can change. Will they give into their feelings?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Downton Abbey. Obviously.

**Author's note:** A new attempt on modern AU, and I have no idea where this will go. I didn't think I'd write another modern story, but I hope you'll like it.

* * *

**Chapter One**

"Bloody hell," John muttered under his breath, trying to get the hang of how to knot his tie. He never got it right in the first time, even after all these years. He sighed, starting it all over again. Sometimes he got it right in the first time; today obviously wasn't one of those days.

Wrong again. He snorted impatiently, and prepared to start it all over again when he heard a giggle. He turned around to see his five-year-old daughter looking at him with a happy smile on her face, obviously making fun at him. He rolled his eyes, but smiled.

"Amusing, huh?" he asked, and she giggled again, taking quick steps into the bedroom and sitting hastily on the bed, "Do you want to help Daddy out here?"

"But I don't know how to knot a tie, Daddy," Amelia said, her smile never leaving her face.

"You're probably better than me. You women know how to do this stuff," he said, walking towards the bed and kneeling down in front of Amelia. "Alright. Put your finger over this for me."

Amelia did as she was told to, even helping him folding the tie as he tried to knot it correctly without the help of the mirror. He smiled when they finished, and Amelia clapped her hands.

"You did it, Daddy!"

"That's because you helped me," he said, pinching the point of her nose and stood up. "How do I look?"

Amelia looked at him critically, frowning ever so slightly. When she looked at his face, however, she laughed.

"Very handsome, Daddy."

"Why, thank you, young lady," he said, then looked at his watch. "We best get going. All ready, poppet?"

"Yes!" she said, standing up excitedly.

"Let's get your backpack and go, then," John told her, and the little girl ran out of the room immediately. John followed her lead.

Soon enough, they were both in the car and ready to go. She told him all about her day at school as he drove, used to the familiar banter of his daughter; she was very talkative, all the time, a trait he knew she didn't take from him, but from her mother. He sighed as he thought this; it had been almost a month since Kate called to talk to Amelia. It wasn't the first time that happened, but it never ceased to make him worry. When she left to live abroad, he knew it might happen eventually, but it didn't change the fact that she needed her mother.

He pulled the car over the driveway as they reached their destination and he got out of the car, moving to open the back door to Amelia; she got out quickly and ran towards the front door of the house, already ringing the bell while John grabbed her bright pink backpack from the backseat of the car.

An older man opened the door as John approached it, and he smiled brightly at the little girl.

"Grandpa!" Amelia exclaimed, hugging her grandfather and already entering the house, "Where's Trooper? Trooper!"

John shook his head as Amelia ran to greet the resident dog, and he shared an amused look with her grandfather.

"Thanks for doing this, Larry," John said, shaking hands with the man, "You sure it's no trouble?"

"Of course it's no trouble, John," Larry said nonchalantly, "Any new recommendations?"

John shook his head, "Only the usual. She can sleep later if she wants to, since tomorrow is a Saturday. She probably won't, though," he checked his watch, "Have you, um, had any news from Kate?"

"She sent an email about a week ago," Larry told him quietly, "She hasn't spoken to Amelia?"

John nodded, "In almost a month. She didn't even call on Amelia's birthday two weeks ago, and her present got here two days later. I tried calling her, but she didn't answer."

"She wouldn't. She's on vacation with that Italian bloke," he told him bitterly, "I'll talk to her about this as soon as I can."

"You don't have to..."

"I want to. Kate's my daughter. It's the least I can do," Larry said dismissively as Amelia approached them again, with Trooper, the lazy basset hound, walking behind her, "Well, that and watch that ballerina mouse all night."

"Her name is Angelina Ballerina, Grandpa!" Amelia told him, and they smiled.

"Alright, poppet. Be good to your grandpa, okay?" John said, crouching down to be on the same eye-level as his daughter. "Now give me a kiss."

Amelia happily hugged him and kissed his cheek, and John smoothed her dark brown hair as he stood up again.

"Call me if there's any trouble, Larry," he said, "I'll try to not be long."

"Have some fun, lad," Larry told him as he started to walk away, "You look like you need it."

John rolled his eyes as he heard this, and waved goodbye to them as he drove away.

He doubted he'd have much fun at Robert's party; he was only going because Robert insisted. The event was for his company, actually, and John didn't quite fit there; having known Robert for almost twenty years, though, he felt he owed his friend some support. While Robert was managing a big corporation, he owned a book shop in Harrogate, which didn't make him quite the businessman, but John didn't mind; he would never trade places with Robert. He supposed they had a few common friends who would be there as well, so the party might not be so bad after all. And he always had the excuse of leaving early to pick up Amelia.

It was good to leave home, though. He had just filed for divorce for the second time, and ever since then he barely did anything other than work. Comprehensible, after being married for only ten months and then filing for divorce. Sometimes life wasn't as they planned it to be. He was used to it, really.

He sighed as he thought about his own life; Kate had left him after five years of marriage to live in Italy – Amelia had been just a baby, then. He was thankful, though – it might have been worse. She might have wanted to take Amelia with her, but fortunately for him that hadn't been the case. And with Vera, well, ten months of marriage seemed over the top even for him. He didn't know how he managed to live with her that long.

He'd see this divorce as a new start – preferably one without romance.

* * *

Anna looked around the beautifully decorated, very crowded room and sighed. Of course she knew no one around here. Leave it to Mary to have her feeling extremely dislocated; then again, she knew this would happen. She had absolutely nothing to do with the Downton Corporations, and she supposed celebrating God knows how many years the company had wasn't really her thing. Still, Mary had asked her – almost pleaded, really – to come and Anna figured it would be better than staying home alone.

She scanned the room, appreciating the soft music and thinking she might as well find some alcohol to entertain her while she didn't find Mary. Just as she started moving, however, she spotted Mary walking towards her.

"Anna!" she said with a smile, "Thank God you're here. It's been torturing, really," she rolled her eyes, "You look fabulous, by the way. Where's David?"

"He stayed in York this weekend," Anna said dismissively, "He's sorry he couldn't come. You look pretty fabulous yourself."

"Oh, this? It's hardly glamorous," Mary looked up from her own dress to stare at Anna in disbelief, "Of course David's sorry. Like he was when he didn't show up for your birthday a few months ago."

"You know how busy he is. And his career is so important to him," Anna told her firmly, "I don't mind."

"That's because you're a saint, Anna. No one has the same amount of patience you do," Mary said with a smile, "If I were in your place, I'd have dumped him by now."

Anna chose not to comment this; Mary was hardly someone to talk about relationships, having never been in a relationship long enough, always complaining of routine and how men couldn't adjust to her current lifestyle. Anna understood her, she really did – along with her friend, she owned a dance studio in central Harrogate. Having met soon after college, when they both danced for the Northern Ballet, they became fast friends, but an injury took Anna out of professional dance, and Mary continued, now dancing for the English National Ballet. Their school was still fairly new, but it was very well-consolidated, and Anna was proud of teaching there. Mary was always far too busy travelling and being on events to even stop by Harrogate, but Anna was always there. It had been, in fact, nearly two months since Anna saw her the week before, having arrived in town to be a part of her father's company anniversary. Mary trusted Anna to keep the academy going on, to arrange the finances and to control the students and staff, and Anna was more than happy doing what she loved.

"My God, if I'm introduced to another young single businessman by Mama, I'll kill myself," Mary said as a waiter stopped in front of them offered champagne; Anna accepted it thankfully.

"Why would they do that? Surely they know you can find men on your own," Anna frowned.

"I'm twenty-seven and I travel a lot. They want me to settle down," Mary rolled her eyes, "You know how parents are. Anyway, how's the school? We've been having a good year so far, haven't we?"

"Oh, yes," Anna agreed, "We're having a presentation by the end of the month, with the nine-year-olds. You should come and see them."

"Which ballet?"

"Swan Lake," Anna said, sipping the bubbly.

"Sounds... average. But I suppose it's nice for nine-year-olds. Who's training them?"

"Gwen is. They love her," Anna told her with a smile, "What's really supposed to happen here?"

"Dull people making speeches and Papa being proud," Mary said, "I'm really glad you're here. You know how I feel about this corporative stuff."

Anna smiled sympathetically. "Where are your sisters?"

"Around here somewhere," she told her, "Edith likes this sort of thing. She's probably having a good time. And Sybil doesn't care," her eyes widened, "Here comes Mama. Let's go to the terrace before she sees me."

The terrace, as Anna found out when she followed Mary through the huge doors that led to the outside, was almost as big as the hall they had just been in. There was a beautiful view of the city, and Anna was suddenly glad she decided to come; the view was certainly worth it.

"You hadn't been to this hotel before?" Mary asked her nonchalantly as Anna commented on the view. "It is beautiful. A little too romantic to do an event such as this one, but it's definitely worth it. More proper to a wedding, I think. Maybe you should talk to David about it."

Anna smiled, "Maybe I will."

"If David doesn't like it, you can always find someone else," Mary teased, "There is plenty of fish in the sea, you know. Fishes that aren't too busy for you."

Anna rolled her eyes; Mary never liked and probably never would like David. The feeling was mutual, in fact, and Anna was all too used to it.

They walked around, chatting about trivial matters, of Mary's latest tour with the company, and of the newest teacher in the academy; every now and then some acquaintance stopped and talked to them, and Anna was soon enjoying herself.

"There aren't enough waiters here, and I need another drink," Mary said, looking at their empty glasses, but she stopped suddenly. "I shouldn't, though. I'm on this new diet and I can't drink much."

Anna pursed her lips, understanding Mary; if there was something she never missed of professional ballet was the constant concern about their weight. Mary, however, looked a little bit too thin at the moment, and even though Anna understood some parts depended on this, she shook her head and started walking towards the bar, Mary following her.

"Indulge yourself tonight. Come on, your dad's company is celebrating its anniversary," Anna told her, "And if we're due to boring speeches, we might as well drink through them."

"I couldn't agree more," Mary mumbled as they tried to find seats by the bar. "My goodness. Feels like all of Harrogate is here tonight. Did you see Tony Lewis back there?"

"I did. He's not the same bloke I went to school with," Anna said, arching her eyebrows.

"You were in his class, that's right. Some people definitely don't get better with age," Mary said, "All the more reason to drink."

* * *

He had just arrived when he remembered how he hated these things. Five minutes in, and he was already wishing to be home, reading, while Amelia watched her daily cartoon marathon.

He had been right about knowing people there; it seemed like half the city had decided to come, so it was hardly a surprise. Still, with him not being in the same business career as them, John found himself extremely bored. After having a somewhat dull conversation with Cora about the décor of the place – something that _really _wasn't his thing – and hearing one of Robert's partners talk about the exportation crisis, he started walking around when he spotted the outside bar, which looked crowded – something expected, giving the course of the party, one simply _had_ to have a drink.

He stopped by the bar, not bothering on trying to find an empty seat, and had just ordered a scotch when someone called his name; he looked to his side and found Mary, Robert's eldest daughter. He hadn't seen her in nearly a year, he recalled; ever since his wedding to Vera, actually. Having known Mary ever since she was a young teenager, he smiled at her, and she seemed genuinely surprised to see him.

"When Papa said you'd come, I didn't believe it!" she said as they briefly hugged, "You've disappeared completely!"

"Or maybe you did. I heard you've been touring a lot. Congratulations," John smiled.

"Thank you. Oh, this is my friend Anna," Mary caught herself, gesturing to the blonde woman sitting next to her, "Anna, this is John Bates. He's been friends with my father ever since I can remember."

Anna smiled politely and reached out to his hand; her handshake was firm, something that didn't particularly go with her somewhat fragile appearance, but he, of everyone knew what that meant. Vera had a firm handshake too, he remembered. He pushed that thought away. Anna was wearing a very fitting cocktail dress and her hair was a little wavy. She was very pretty, of course. She was probably around Mary's age. He didn't debate this question. He would stop right there.

"I was sorry to hear about your divorce," Mary told him as the barman handed him his scotch. "It's a shame."

"Indeed. But it's better this way," he said quietly, "Cora was looking for you."

Mary rolled her eyes, and before she could say anything else, Anna spoke.

"And she's coming this way."

She shared an amused look with him as Cora approached them, greeting Anna enthusiastically and proceeding to question her about her life.

"Anna, darling, it's been so long! David couldn't come?" Cora asked her.

"No, he's stuck in York working."

"Men," Cora said good-naturedly, turning her attention to Mary, "Darling, there's someone I'd like you to meet..."

John took a sip of scotch as the women talked; typical Cora, trying to set Mary up with someone. And of course someone like Anna would have a boyfriend – it was only natural.

"Alright, Mama," Mary said at last, "Let's go then. Anna, you'll be alright on your own, won't you? I'll be back in a minute."

"I'm sure John will be happy to entertain her. You might pick up a few tips, John," Cora said, winking at him, "Anna makes the best Shepherd's pie in the universe."

Anna laughed softly as mother and daughter left them; she looked at him a bit shyly.

"She's exaggerating, of course," she told him quietly. John smiled.

"Well, she _is_ American," John said, and Anna laughed, "But I believe in what she says. She used to say my pie was the best, and now it seems that I've been replaced. I'm a little shocked, to be honest."

"I'm sorry," Anna said with a smile, "So, um, you work with Robert?"

"No," he said, taking a sip of his drink, "Absolutely not. I worked for him about twenty years ago, but it didn't last. This business isn't for me, really. What about you?"

"Oh, no, definitely not," she shook her head, "I met Mary in Leeds. We danced for the same company. I'm only here because she asked me to."

"So you don't know any of these people?" he asked and she shook her head again. "You're lucky."

"Why?" she frowned, but smiled. She had beautiful smile, he noticed.

"If I have to hear another person's opinion on the exportation crisis, I'll leave before they finish speaking," he lowered his voice, "Do you mind if I sit here?"

He gestured the seat Mary had vacated, and Anna promptly shook her head.

"Are you planning on using me to get away from these conversations?" she asked, teasing evident on her voice.

"Depends. Can you be more interesting than them?" she pursed her lips, trying to remain serious. He arched his eyebrows. "You'll have to work hard to do that, you know."

"I'll do my best," she said with a grin.

He responded with a grin of his own; surely this girl was more interesting than these people.

"Now you'll have to tell me what's so special about your pie."

Anna giggled at his words. Perhaps his night wouldn't be so bad, after all.

* * *

**A/N: **Not too bad, I hope? Let me know what you think - it'd mean a lot to me. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **First of all, I want to thank everyone who has submitted to this story, read or reviewed it. It really means a lot and it encourages me to write more. Thank you! :) I'll try to update at least once a week. Hope you'll like this chapter! :)

* * *

**Chapter Two**

John rang the bell and waited patiently; the air was a bit chilly for a summer night, but nothing out of ordinary. He waited a couple of minutes outside until the door finally opened and revealed a rather tired looking Larry.

"Larry, sorry about the time," John apologised as Larry let him in, "I know I said I wouldn't be long, but..."

"Really, lad, don't worry. It's not that late, anyway," the older man said dismissively, "I'll admit that I was expecting you about an hour ago, but it's fine."

It was not very late – just a little over midnight, but John didn't like to bother Larry. Amelia was an easy child, but a child nonetheless, and more often than not she was always in a spur of energy. Amelia loved going there though – her grandfather spoiled her enough with letting her stay up until she wanted to and could always eat what she chose to.

"Sorry about that. I got a little carried away," John said quietly, "Amelia is sleeping?"

Larry nodded, "Yeah, she fell asleep at around ten. She's in Kate's old room. Though that's more like her room now, I suppose."

John smiled as he followed Larry to the living room, "Thanks for doing this. I'll pick her up now and I'll let you sleep. I know by this time you're snoring already."

Larry shook his head, "Never mind, take a seat. I'm trying to finish this crossword here. You might as well help me out here," he told him, "How was the party?"

"It was... interesting," John said with honesty, sitting on the couch, "Surprising, actually. I had fun."

Larry narrowed his eyes behind his big glasses, "Met anyone interesting?"

John rolled his eyes, "I filed for divorce only five weeks ago, Larry."

"And I bet that Vera isn't even thinking of moving on," Larry added sarcastically. John glared at him. "I'm not saying you should dive into a relationship already. I do hope you'll eventually find a suitable woman to be Amelia's stepmother, and I'm glad you realised Vera wasn't that woman. But you're still young, you know. You can have fun."

John leaned back on his seat, shaking his head slowly. He had taken a huge risk in marrying Vera – she had seemed to get along well enough with Amelia, or at least that had been his first thoughts. He hadn't expected them to be very close, but Amelia soon after they married told him Vera wasn't fun to be around. And Vera hadn't seemed like a patient person regarding children. Despite Vera working only in the afternoons, she never even asked if he needed any help in caring for Amelia – to take to school, extra activities, school presentations, nothing. He noticed that soon. Vera wasn't interested in Amelia and didn't even made any effort for the little girl to like her. He'd never make this mistake again; no matter what, Amelia was the most important person in the world, and therefore her opinion was the one that mattered the most, even if it was the opinion of a five-year-old.

"You haven't answered my question," Larry interrupted his thoughts, and John frowned. "Met anyone interesting?"

John smiled, despite everything. Of course he would push on the subject. Larry was worse than his own mother. And still, John couldn't help but think of Anna. She had been a very pleasant company at the party – probably what saved him, really. She was interesting, nice, and even laughed when he attempted to tell a joke. They talked of anything and everything, not really going into details of their lives, but he could see she was a focused and kind person. In another time, he would have been very, very interested in her, he was sure of that. He didn't think much of it, for his own sake. He wasn't in any position for a new relationship, and she had a boyfriend. Perhaps in another life. She did have a nice laughter.

"There are always interesting people out there," John said calmly after a moment.

Larry stopped in the middle of his crossword puzzle and glared at him.

"Alright, lad. Whatever you say," he shook his head, his attention back to the puzzle. "Help me out. '1934 Agatha Christie novel'. How am I supposed to know that? The woman wrote about two hundred books!"

"How many letters?"

"Too many for me to care to count."

John smiled, "Murder on the Orient Express?" Larry took a moment to see if it fit, but shook his head. "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?"

He waited for a moment, and Larry arched his eyebrows. "Must be it, then. Thanks, lad."

"No problem," John said, standing up as he checked on the time, "I should get going. I'm taking Amelia to buy her ballet clothes tomorrow morning."

Larry snickered, "Take a picture of her for me. I bet she'll be very proud of herself."

"I will, don't worry," John let out a laugh, "My mother specifically asked for a video and Amelia is absolutely sure she will be able to perform a pirouette once she wears her uniform."

Larry let out a hearty laugh, "She did tell me she has been practicing."

John shook his head as he left the room to get his daughter.

* * *

"What do you mean, Mary can't go?" Gwen asked her.

Anna sighed. "She says she's too busy."

Gwen let out a bitter laugh. "When isn't she busy? Really, Anna. She promised she would go to the next presentation. The kids are so excited!"

Anna looked up from behind her desk and gave Gwen a sympathetic smile.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I can hardly force her," Anna said, "You know how Mary is, and I know how most of the girls want to be just like her, but I can't do anything about it."

"It's so unfair to them," Gwen said, shaking her head. Anna glanced at the clock. "You have another class today?"

Anna nodded, "Yeah, another group two. We have three new girls today and you know how parents are," she shared a smile with Gwen as she started to pull her hair into a ponytail. Anna took off her glasses and stood up, but not before looking apologetically to Gwen. "I'm really sorry about Mary. I'll call her and try to convince her."

Gwen followed her out of the small office, "Thanks, Anna. You're the best."

"You go ahead. I need to talk to Kylie for a minute," Anna told her, and she turned to go the reception room.

Anna pursed her lips as she walked, deep in thought. She doubted she could convince Mary to come watch the children's presentation. She'd try, but she didn't think it would matter much.

She opened the reception door, seeing only two mothers waiting for their children and Kylie, the receptionist, filing her nails. Anna greeted the two mothers animatedly, and stopped by the desk to talk to Kylie.

"Has David called?" Anna asked, her voice low.

"No. Your mum has. She said she wants to have lunch with you on Thursday," Kylie told her pulling out a piece of paper, "She said you can choose the restaurant, as long as it isn't Chinese, Japanese, French, Vietnamese, Indian or Thai food. Oh, and Italian, she said she's sick of Italian food."

Anna took the paper from Kylie, "Thanks. Do we even have a Vietnamese restaurant in Harrogate?" Anna asked with a frown.

"I don't think so," Kylie replied, getting back to her nails.

Anna pursed her lips. "Kylie, don't you have anything else to do? Didn't Gwen ask you to prepare her classroom?"

"Well... yeah."

"We have new students for group two. Send them in as soon as they arrive. The parents will probably want to have a chat with me," Anna told her, "And after my class starts, go prepare Gwen's classroom."

* * *

With it being a new stage of ballet for her students, the girls appeared to be extremely excited, and Anna found herself smiling as soon as, one by one, they started to arrive. It wasn't a large group, just about eight girls, aged five and six; it was by far Anna's favourite group to teach, as the girls were often eager to learn but not old enough to care if they're doing it wrong.

She was talking to the mother of a new student when the door opened again, and, to her own surprise, she saw John Bates, Mary's family friend, enter the room, hand in hand with a little girl. Anna frowned but smiled at him, and it took him only a second to realise who she was and to smile back. She excused herself from the conversation quickly, and walked towards John and the little girl – presumably, his daughter. The girl was clutching to her father's hand shyly, but her eyes were curious, looking around everything. Anna exchanged a smile with him before crouching down to speak to the girl.

"Hi. You must be Amelia, right?" Anna asked with a smile, remembering her name from the list. The girl nodded shyly, "My name is Anna Smith. I'm your ballet teacher."

At this, Amelia looked up excitedly to her father, who smiled at her. Her eyes then darted back to Anna.

"You're a ballerina?"

Anna let out a laugh, "I am. Do you want to be a ballerina too?"

Amelia nodded vehemently, smiling.

"Do you want to join the other girls so we can all dance together?" Anna tentatively asked.

Amelia looked up to John again, her hand already leaving his. "Can I, Daddy?"

"Of course you can," John said, and Amelia ran to the centre of the room with the other girls. Anna stood up again, and John let out a laugh. "Anna, right? What a pleasant surprise."

"Likewise. It's good to see you again," Anna told him, "So you have a little ballerina of your own, huh?"

He smiled. Anna remembered him fondly from the party a few days ago; in fact, he had been her saviour of sorts, as Mary never returned to find them after leaving. His company had been very enjoyable, and she found out they had many common interests. He certainly made her evening go by fast enough for her to not realise how late it was, and he even made her laugh right in the middle of Robert's speech. Anna blamed it on the alcohol, though.

She had to admit that he was a fine man, even now in casual clothes, and his smile was always kind of shy and tentative that she found it rather endearing. Today, however, she felt slightly self-conscious, wearing only a black unitard and a soft pink skirt, her usual attire while teaching, and simple ballet shoes, which left her much shorter than she looked at the party. She wasn't sure why she felt a little insecure about it, though – she usually felt at her most comfortable when teaching.

"It's the only thing she talks about," he said, "I'm sure she will be a very eager student."

"Those are the best, I assure you."

They exchanged another smile, his eyes adverting to Amelia, who had by now completely forgotten about him and was jumping around with the other girls at the sound of an animated song.

"I leave these songs on so that they get excited about the class," she told him quietly, "But don't worry. They didn't come here to dance like Madonna."

"I should hope so! I got worried for a moment here," he said, "So, um, when does the class end?"

"Half-five," Anna said mechanically as he looked around, as if checking the whole room. She smiled, "You can stay if you want."

"What?"

"You can stay and watch the class. I'd like it if you did. The parents should know how their children are being treated," Anna explained, "And it's good for the child too, what with being in a different environment and all. Some mothers stay all the time. But only if you want to, of course."

He took one last glance at Amelia and at the bench where some mothers were seated; it would obviously be a little dull for him to be in such a place with a bunch of women, but he seemed to consider it. Finally, he looked at her.

"Alright. I suppose I can stay," he told her at last, earning a bright smile from Anna.

"Very well, then. I best get going," she told him, closing the door behind him and walking towards the girls.

She turned the stereo off, making all the little girls look at her and she smiled at them.

"Alright, girls. I see we have some new faces around here," Anna started, taking in the curious looks on the little girls' faces. "Who likes ballet here?" she let out a laugh when every single one of the girls raised their hands. "Alright. Why don't we all make a circle and sit on the floor so we can have a little chat about ballet?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Thanks so much for everyone who has read and reviewed so far - I hope you'll find this chapter enjoyable as well. Now, shall we see how the class went? :)

**Guest - **Thanks! I'll admit that I really like Amelia as well. :)

**alanadoodle - **I'm really glad you're still enjoying the story! The other characters will be around a lot, especially now in these first chapters, and we may even meet Anna's boyfriend soon. Thanks!

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Anna waved goodbye to one of her students as the girl left with her mother, and looked around the room. Two other moms were still there, along with John, and the three remaining girls were practicing their newly discovered talent together in the middle of the room. Anna walked towards the adults, offering them a smile, and one of the women, Judy, immediately spoke.

"We were just telling John about their last presentation, Anna."

"I do hope it wasn't anything bad," Anna said a little nervously.

"Oh, not at all. You did an amazing job," Judy said, "I'm sure Amelia will love to be a part of it."

They talked for a few minutes, and it was clear to Anna that the other mothers absolutely loved him. Soon enough, however, they were both gone, obviously to talk about him, with their daughters in a tow; Amelia was otherwise occupied inspecting the room and the bars around it to care that she was the last one there.

"So, what's your verdict?" Anna asked at last.

John grinned, "It was interesting. I might stay occasionally, whenever I have the time. Amelia seemed very excited through it all."

"She did a great job, especially with it being her first class," Anna commented, "You were quite the success with the ladies. I haven't seen them that animated ever since Mary stopped by."

"Bonus with being the only man in a mile radius," he said modestly, and Anna chuckled, "You know, I was convinced that you still danced with Mary. I honestly didn't know you were a ballet teacher."

"Oh, no, I left professional dancing six years ago," Anna told him, "My ankle made me abandon it, actually. Mary is younger and more attentive to injuries than I was," she said, "But I'd have never expected to see you here! I had no idea you had a daughter."

"Why? You don't think I'd look for ballet classes myself?" he said mockingly, and Anna playfully glared at him. "You were right. I'd have never even thought of ballet classes for her if she didn't talk about it so much. She'll be talking about this for weeks." He looked at his watch, "We better go. It was good to see you again, Anna."

"I can say the same, John."

He smiled and turned to look at his daughter, "Amelia, time to go!"

"Already?" the little girl asked disappointedly, walking towards her father.

"We'll be back next week," John said, picking Amelia up and reaching for her backpack from the bench. "Say goodbye to Ms. Smith."

"Goodbye, Ms. Smith!" Amelia said animatedly.

"See you next week, Amelia," Anna said with a smile, sharing a look with John before they left.

* * *

John parked the car and opened the door to Amelia as the little girl led the way, opening the door to the book shop. He was right behind her as he entered the familiar room. The book shop was almost like a second home to him and Amelia; there were a few customers and William was helping one of them out. The others were going through some books, but otherwise it looked quite empty – it was almost time to close, anyway.

Watching Amelia's first ballet class had been better than he had initially hoped, if he were honest with himself. Amelia was eager to learn and to dance, and he couldn't help smiling at the sight of her face when she focused on imitating what Anna did, or when she tried to get a position right at first. He took a few pictures and chatted with the mothers who were watching their daughters too, and they were all nice and polite. Anna, however, looked even more charming than he thought she was at the party; she was much, much shorter than him and she seemed much more comfortable there. Her smiles were easy and she was really nice and patient with the children. After a couple of minutes, he realised that when he wasn't looking at Amelia, he was looking at Anna. She looked so natural there, in front of the girls, wearing those ballet clothes he understood nothing about – but, he had to admit, fitted her body so well – that he couldn't help but stare. She probably noticed it too – once or twice she had caught him looking.

"Alex, look what I can do!" Amelia said animatedly, running around the desk to talk to the clerk.

She put her arms above her head and turned around, losing her balance a little but apparently proud of her accomplishment.

"You're practically a ballerina already, Amelia!"

Amelia shook her head solemnly, "No, I still have to learn a lot. Ms. Smith is great, and she's a ballerina! Do you think I'll ever dance like her, Daddy?"

"Of course you will, if you practice really hard," John said, pinching Amelia's nose as he spoke. "Ms. Smith is her teacher," he told Alex, who looked at him questioningly. "Any calls, any troubles?"

"Vera came here. Said she needed to talk to you. She even wanted to know where you were," the young woman told him as Amelia started to walk away and opened the door to the back of the shop. "And your ex-wife called too. The first one. She asked me to give you this number."

He took the piece of paper from her. "Good. Two people, two troubles. Thanks, Alex."

John huffed as he took a look at the numbers, and shook his head. He didn't particularly feel like talking to her after such a good day for him and Amelia, but he was sure it would raise her spirits up if she talked to her mother. He went to the back of the store, passing Amelia by in the first room, where by now she had turned on the television and was drawing something on a paper, sitting on the carpet. She was all too used to being there, as she always stayed in the shop when she wasn't at school and John could look after her – and if he was busy, Alex and William always gave him a hand too.

He crossed the room and opened the door to his office, leaving it opened. Sat behind the desk, he hesitated for only a moment before dialling the numbers, which were many, as it would be directed to another country. He waited a couple of seconds before someone answered the call, speaking in Italian, and he tried to communicate with them asking for Kate. At last, he heard her voice.

"John, good to hear from you!" she said, "I'm sorry I didn't call earlier. We've been very busy here. How are things over in England?"

"Alright. Amelia has been asking after you," John said, going straight to the point, taking a look at his daughter, who was still drawing in the next room. "She was disappointed when you didn't call on her birthday."

He heard a sigh on the other side of the line, but he felt no guilt whatsoever in saying this; Kate needed to know the reality, and he knew he was sometimes too severe, but the truth was that her calls were becoming less and less frequent, and the disappointed look on Amelia's face was becoming more and more usual.

"I didn't forget her birthday, if that's what you're suggesting," Kate said at last.

"That's not what I said."

"Our vacation started that day. I was knackered from the trip and when I woke up it was the next day already," she quickly explained; John thought her voice seemed a little nervous, "I'm sorry, alright?"

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to," John said a little briskly.

"I know that," Kate said, her tone going brisk as well, "You don't need to remind me how I screwed up again, John," she said quietly, then took a deep breath, "How is she doing? Did she like the presents I sent?"

"She did, even though she couldn't understand a word of what that doll was saying. She doesn't speak Italian, you know," he heard an impatient sigh, "But she loved it. Do you want to talk to her? She's right in the next room."

"Oh, no, not now," Kate told him in a rush, "I don't have much time and she talks a lot. I'll call you... tomorrow night. Then I'll talk to her."

"Kate, she talks a lot because you're her mother and she wants to tell you all about her life," John interrupted, his voice calm, "Perhaps if you called more often..."

"I'm sorry if I have other things to do, John," she snapped, and John sighed, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, "I can't call all the time. I work, I have a husband..."

"You have a daughter too. That's all I'm saying, Kate," John said slowly, "Call tomorrow night. She misses you."

"I promise I'll call, John," she said tiredly, "Listen, I have to go. I'll talk to you tomorrow, then."

And without any more words, she hung up. John pursed his lips and frowned, deep in thought. Kate's behaviour didn't surprise him. Her attitude didn't surprise him. She had never been very maternal, even when Amelia was a young baby, but the fact was that she wasn't a baby anymore, and she understood things; she got disappointed, she asked him questions about her mother, she was curious. And it pained him because Amelia didn't really know her mother. Occasional phone calls and one or two visits per year weren't enough. Presents were enough to distract Amelia from the main issue now, but he wasn't sure that would be the case in the future.

* * *

"So you really won't go?" Anna asked, her patience already gone.

"Anna, I already told you I can't," Mary said, "We start training on Monday. I'll go back to London this week to get an early start."

Anna decided to drop the subject and went back to her work, knowing that Mary simply didn't want to go and definitely wouldn't show up. Of course she could stay in Harrogate for Friday night, but she obviously wasn't in the mood and Anna knew better than to insist even more on the subject. It was a miracle alone that she even decided to stop by the studio after the classes were over, so Anna decided to let it go – again.

"I'll try to be there for the next one," Mary said when Anna got silent, and smiled a bit forcefully. "So... what's new? Is David in the city today?"

Anna shook her head, stopped writing for just a second before continuing on. "No, he's still in York. I think," she added, "I tried calling him yesterday and this morning, but nothing. I think he's been working too much."

Mary chuckled sarcastically, "Yeah, right. Well, I think he's been away from home too much. Really, Anna, you're wasting your time with him. He obviously cares more about his career and rarely comes here nowadays. Just... break up with him and find someone else."

"He's trying to become partner to the office, which should be soon," Anna replied, "I'm not worried. You shouldn't be either."

Mary rolled her eyes, "I'm not worried. And what is it that you write so much about?"

"Just notes from the classes. I like to keep track of how my students are going," she told her quietly, and stopped writing, "We have some new students. One of them is the daughter of that man you introduced me to at the party. John Bates?"

Mary frowned, "Amelia? I haven't seen her in a while. Cute child, isn't she?"

Anna smiled and got back on writing, "She's adorable."

"That reminds me," Mary suddenly said, sitting back on her chair and grinning at Anna, "I saw you leaving the party with him last week."

"Yeah?" Anna asked her distractedly.

"Yeah. Were you, you know, _with _him?"

Anna paused for a moment, understanding the meaning behind Mary's words and looked up, horrified.

"What? No! I have a boyfriend, Mary, don't be daft," Anna shook her head, "No, he just... He mentioned he needed to leave, and I said I'd go too and we walked out together. After that, he waited for the valet to get my car and that was it. No big deal, he was just being polite."

Mary narrowed her eyes at her, but shrugged. "Alright, I believe you. But he is a nice man, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he seems to be," Anna agreed, "He was a good company, at the party. And he seems to be such a good father."

"Yeah, I mean, I'd never think of John that way, but really, he's great. If you didn't have David, I'd tell you to give him a chance. What do you think?"

Anna glared at Mary, "That's not the case. I have a boyfriend."

"I know, but what if you didn't?"

Anna rolled her eyes, "Well, we'll never know. Now stop it. You're just doing that because you hate David."

"I don't _hate _David. I just don't like him," Mary said nonchalantly, standing up, "I'll admit it's kind of absurd the thought of you and John together," she snickered, "I'll get going now. I'll call you before I leave for London, alright?"

"Alright."

Anna shook her head at Mary's words; she'd never cheat on David, even if their relationship wasn't in its best now. She wasn't exactly sure where they stood now, what with him living in another city and both of them having separate lives, but she had faith that maybe they could work something out.

If she thought about it, well, it wasn't really so absurd – to think of John Bates that way. He was a very nice man, very polite and caring and he was interesting too. She supposed he had a lot of baggage – with a young daughter and, from what she heard, two divorces. He seemed to have fun at the class today. She caught him smiling once or twice. She caught him looking at her once or twice too.

Anna smiled, and shook her head. No, it _was_ absurd.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Anna looked around the flat distractedly; it was a rather warm day, sunny outside, and it was probably a good day to spend outside. Instead, however, she was stuck inside her own flat, with her companion talking on the phone every five minutes.

"Sorry about that," David told her when he finally hung up. Anna had already finished eating by then, "We're having this huge business transaction in the office and one of the companies just offered less than we had stipulated. It'll be a tough one."

"I'm sure," Anna said, "Can't you turn your phone off so that you can at least have lunch without interruptions?"

David shook his head, "Are you kidding? One phone call might change everything, Anna," he rolled his eyes as he ate, "Now, what were we talking about?"

"Last night's presentation," Anna answered him, "It's a shame you couldn't come. Nearly all the choreographies were mine."

"I'm sure they were all great, honey," David said, and Anna smiled, "I'll try to make it to the next one, but we had this important meeting yesterday and I couldn't miss it. You understand, right?"

Anna fidgeted slightly on her seat, "Yeah, I do, but," she stopped herself for a moment, "David, I feel like we need to talk about..."

She was interrupted by his phone ringing again, and Anna cursed inwardly when he answered it – again. Her patience was slowly coming to an end and Anna looked at the clock on the opposite wall. David had arrived later in the morning and picked Anna up at work for them to have lunch together – and yet, she hadn't been able to hold a conversation for more than ten minutes. And if there was something she needed to do, it was to talk with David.

Even though Anna told Mary and everyone else that she understood David's job and how he was away all the time, she was aware that their relationship was not only physically distant, but emotionally as well. They had to make a decision about it, and it needed to be done soon.

David arched his eyebrows as he hung up again, and looked straight into Anna's eyes, somewhat anxiously. "What did you want to talk about?"

Anna took a deep breath. "I think we might need to... re-evaluate our relationship."

David frowned, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that... maybe we should think about the last months and see if we still have a future together," his face was emotionless when she spoke, but Anna knew he was surprised. "We've been together for almost four years, David. We barely see each other. We live in different cities. And I'm, well, I'm almost thirty-one, and we're still in the same step we were four years ago."

"You don't think we can have a future together?" David repeated, visibly upset.

"That's not what I said," Anna retorted quickly, "What I'm saying is that I'm in a good place right now. The studio is going great, I love teaching, my life is very comfortable and I make my own schedules. And I want more. Personally speaking," she added, "I want marriage, and I want children in the future. But I've been having difficulty in seeing how this can work out for the both of us."

David sat, without moving, in front of her. Anna shifted uncomfortably on her seat, but did not regret her words; they should have had this conversation a long time ago. After what seemed like eternity, David spoke again.

"So you just want us to get married?" he said hurriedly, "Because I'm fine with that, Anna. We can get engaged soon, and then we can start planning the wedding. I know you women care a lot about these things..."

"I don't _just _want us to get married," she told him quietly, but firmly, "I want us to think if we can be together in the future, with our lives being so different right now. Because if we can't, then we should just..."

Anna was once again interrupted by the noise of David's phone ringing, and sighed impatiently when he picked it up again. Anna stood up and took her dirty dishes from the table, not in the mood of listening to whatever big business transaction was happening at the moment. It was moments like this that made Anna question how they've managed to be together for four years already – probably because six months into their relationship David had gone to live in York and they spent less time together.

She was in the kitchen when David called her name from the doorway; she looked up and saw him staring at her rather nervously.

"They want me in York," he told her simply.

Anna let out a bitter laugh; of course he needed to go. He finally managed to visit her, and then he had to leave two hours later.

"Alright," Anna said at last, "Go, then."

"Look, I'm sorry, but I'm trying to make a big career for myself, Anna," he told her quietly, "You should know this by now."

"I do," she said, "and that's exactly why I'm asking you to think about us."

He nodded silently, and left without any more words.

* * *

"She wants the car?" John repeated, "She already asked for the flat. Can she even _ask_ for the car?"

He heard his lawyer's explanation through the phone, and sighed. Of course Vera couldn't get the car, or even the flat, at least not according to their prenuptial agreement. Still, she could ask for it – and giving in would make the divorce process go faster. John, however, had no hurry, and didn't particularly wanted to lose so much for someone he didn't even spend much time with.

"Alright. Let me know if anything changes," John said, observing as Amelia came into the living room and sat beside him on the couch.

He hung up the phone, watching as Amelia remained silent. She had been awfully quiet today, and he knew the reason behind it; Kate had called earlier – she hadn't called Amelia in the day following their previous conversation, but remembered to call on Saturday morning – and she had news for them.

Months ago, she had told them she'd come to visit in October, what made Amelia very excited. She rarely saw her mother more than a couple of days a year, so any day Kate visited was a happy day for Amelia. Unfortunately, as he had come to know this morning, Kate hadn't managed to get some days off work to come to England and would only see Amelia on Christmas. The little girl was obviously sad at the news.

"I have an idea," he said, and she looked up at him, "Let's go to the park."

Amelia's eyes immediately widened. "But you said you were tired and wanted to stay home today, Daddy."

She was right, of course; Amelia constantly asked him to go to the park and play but after working the entire week, plus Saturday morning, he had told her he'd take her there tomorrow. He didn't mind changing his plans; going to the park would probably cheer Amelia's spirits up.

"Well, I'm not tired anymore," he said, and smiled, "Unless you're tired and don't want to go."

"I'm not tired!" she said quickly and stood up, "Can I have an ice cream when we're there?"

"Alright," John told her, "Let's get you ready, then."

* * *

After David left and the kitchen was cleaned, Anna had felt the day was too beautiful to be wasted inside; she was on her way out of her flat when her brother called – having just moved to a new place, he apparently had no idea which couch to choose for his new living room, and wanted Anna's help. Anna had been happy with the distraction, feeling that her relationship with David had no real future for the first time in years.

She declined Chris' offer to drive her home afterwards, since her flat wasn't so far, and instead decided to walk through the Valley Gardens to spare time and enjoy the nice weather. Obviously other people had the same idea she had, as several people were there too, but it was far from crowded; she spotted several children too, some riding their bikes, some at the play area, and smiled, remembering she used to love coming here as a child.

Anna frowned as she spotted one person, standing a few feet away from the play area, arms crossed in front of him and wearing sunglasses; John Bates? She wasn't completely sure it was him, so she looked at the play area, spotting Amelia playing on the swing. Anna smiled but stopped walking, unsure of what to do. Should she go and say hello? They didn't know each other very well, after all.

Before she could think any further, however, John saw her and smiled. Anna replied with a smile of her own and walked over to where he was standing.

"Hi," Anna said tentatively, stopping right beside him.

"Hello," he said, "What a surprise to see you here, Anna."

"I wasn't sure it was you from the distance," she told him, "but then I saw Amelia."

He arched his eyebrows, "Thanks for reminding me of how remarkable I am."

Anna laughed at his tone, and shook her head. "You know what I mean," she rolled her eyes and turned to look at the play area, "Well, today seems too fine of a day to waste it inside, don't you think?"

John let out a chuckle, "That was actually my plan, but Amelia loves coming here, and I thought she needed some cheering up."

Anna frowned, "Why? Has anything happened?"

"Oh, no," he said quickly, "Her mother had promised to visit next month, but she won't be able to come anymore. Amelia was looking forward to the visit, so she was a little sad about it."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Anna said sympathetically, looking at the giggling girl playing with other children.

"Yeah, it happens. She's still young and she'll let this one go," John said distractedly, then turned to look at Anna, "So, what brings you here?"

"I was at my brother's. He lives nearby," she told him, "So I thought I'd walk through the park on my way home. It's been a while since I came here."

"No ballet classes today, then?"

Anna smiled, "No, no. Well, actually, I do have two groups in the morning, but I like to have a free weekend."

"Don't we all?" he smirked, "Oh, here she comes."

Amelia was running towards them and, Anna noticed, the bunches on her hair were a little misaligned – probably from the work of a father who didn't know a thing about hair. She smiled, feeling sympathy for the little girl; she had presumed John was divorcing Amelia's mother, from what she heard of Mary, but if the woman didn't live here, then she was probably wrong and the divorce wasn't recent.

"Did you see how high I swung, Daddy?" Amelia asked him excitedly.

"I did, but remember what I told you about that?" John said with a narrow smile.

"But I was careful, Daddy!" the little girl told him immediately, and Anna laughed.

"I sure hope so. Look who I found here," her father told her, and Amelia looked at Anna with shy eyes, "Your ballet teacher."

"Hi, Amelia," Anna greeted her with a smile.

"Hi, Ms. Smith," the little girl said eagerly, "I'm practicing real hard at home so I can be a ballerina like you."

John chuckled, "You're her new idol."

"I'm not sure how well that can go," Anna made a face.

"Can we get my ice cream now, Daddy?" Amelia asked John, her small hand encircling his.

"Only if you choose something other than chocolate," John asked her, and winked at Anna, "Anna, will you join us?"

The invitation took Anna by surprise, and her first instinct was to decline it; she really didn't want to be an outsider.

"What? Oh, no, John, I don't want to bother your afternoon..."

"Bother? No, it'd be nice to have some company. Right, Amelia?" the little girl nodded quickly, "Unless, of course, you have other things to do. But really, we'd love to have some company."

Anna smiled, considering it. _Why not?_

"Have ice cream with us, Ms. Smith!" Amelia said excitedly.

"Come on, Anna. I'm paying," John insisted.

Anna looked at the pair of them and couldn't resist. Why not, indeed?

"Alright, then. Let's go."

* * *

**A/N:** A little spoiler on Chapter 5 - you can expects lots of Anna/Bates interaction. I mean it. :) Hope you've enjoyed this one - let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Another chapter for the weekend! I was going to post it tomorrow, but why hold it if it's ready? Thanks for all the kind reviews - I'll reply to everyone as soon as I can. ;) Hope you'll like it! Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Chapter Five**

They chose a table in the porch, to enjoy the fine weather; Amelia had babbled with Anna the entire way to the tea room, no longer feeling shy. John smiled at them – it was so good to see Amelia happy. She didn't even look like the sad little girl with unshed tears in her eyes when she talked to her mother on the phone earlier. She seemed completely at ease – even ordering strawberry ice cream instead of just chocolate, and he was sure that had something to do with Anna ordering strawberry as well.

They were still talking animatedly while eating, but John didn't talk much; he merely observed. Anna sat right in front of him, with Amelia between them, and she often looked up at him in amusement of the interesting topics of conversation of a five-year-old.

"I like your sunglasses, Amelia," Anna said after they were seated, when Amelia put her sunglasses over her head to match the Anna's. The little girl smiled.

"My granny gave 'em to me," Amelia told her proudly. John had found it funny when his mother had presented her with the sunglasses – Amelia rarely wore them outside, because she was always running and playing, but had decided to wear them to restaurants and malls from time to time. "Alex says they're great acces- accessories 'cause they're posh."

That made Anna giggle, and she complimented them on the colour – bright pink, of course.

"And who is Alex?" Anna asked her interestedly, exchanging an amused look with John.

"She's my best friend!" Amelia announced brightly between spoonfuls of ice cream. "She lets me play on the computer and she buys me soda and she reads me real good stories."

"Alex is the clerk in the store," John explained to Anna when she looked at him questioningly, "She's young, but very helpful. And she's been giving you soda behind my back, huh? Why didn't you tell me that before, young lady?"

Amelia widened her eyes and giggled softly, "It was a secret!"

John shook his head in a disapproving manner, but grinned at his daughter – who was now staring at Anna's sunglasses.

"Yours are pretty too, Ms. Smith," she commented after a while, getting her attention back to her ice cream, "But they'd be posh if they were pink."

The little girl said matter-of-factly, causing Anna and John to chuckle; he didn't understand much about fashion, but he was sure Anna's huge black sunglasses would be considered posh.

"You can call me Anna, Amelia," she told her with a smile, "But only outside ballet, alright? The other girls can't know. It'll be our secret," she looked at John, "Well, if Daddy thinks you can keep a secret, of course."

"I won't tell the other girls!" Amelia told them quickly, "And you can call me Amelia too. I don't mind."

Anna grinned and they continued their conversation; afterwards, Amelia asked to look for squirrels before leaving, and John insisted on paying for Anna's ice cream, despite her protests. Amelia's posh sunglasses were handed back to John when she started running a bit ahead of them, checking the flowers and insects. Anna and John walked a bit behind her, keeping an eye on where she went, and finally being able to talk freely.

Anna hadn't seemed to be in a hurry, and just strolled along with them, commenting on the nice weather and talking about several subjects; he found it hard to believe that she truly didn't have anywhere to be. She did tell him she had a boyfriend, when they were at the party – apparently he lived in York – but she never mentioned him now. He wouldn't ask, of course – he wouldn't even dare to think a possibility with her. He was in no place for a relationship, not with Vera asking for more and more things and Kate being distant and vague. He had vowed to himself he would only be in a relationship if he was absolutely sure the woman in question could like Amelia – and his daughter would have to approve his choice. And that woman wasn't Anna, he knew that; her commitment was elsewhere.

"Thanks for staying," John told her after a while, when he was sure Amelia wasn't listening. "You've really cheered her up. She wasn't very talkative before. I know you probably had better things to do on a Saturday afternoon."

"What? No, this has been fun," Anna assured him, "I'm glad I stayed, and I'm glad I could help. Amelia is a great child. This has been as much fun for me as it's been for her, believe me. And I'm really not that busy."

John couldn't help but smile – Anna seemed sincere and she seemed to like Amelia too. She opened her mouth, obviously intending to say something, but hesitated, and John didn't push her. Amelia looked over them and smiled brightly, waving. John and Anna waved back at her.

"I take it your boyfriend isn't in town, then?" John said tentatively, before he could stop himself. He slapped himself mentally for such a question – it really wasn't any of his business, but Anna seemed a little hesitating, a little thoughtful, and even though they weren't really friends he supposed she could use a talk if she wanted to. They knew overall aspects of each other's lives, and they had talked so openly at the party. They could be friends, after all.

Anna didn't seem to think anything of his question, and answered almost immediately.

"He came over this morning but left in the middle of lunch," she told him, "Business, he says."

He smiled sympathetically, not really wanting to ask for details; it wasn't his place to do so. He had already asked a risky question once, and he wouldn't do it twice. Anna turned her head to look at him, her face expressionless.

"I'm not sure David and I will be together next week, I'm afraid," she said with a somewhat bitter laugh, "It's funny how you can spend years with someone and suddenly you realise there's just... nothing left."

John nodded, "Relationships aren't easy," he looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "Has David realised that yet?"

Anna cringed slightly, "I'm not sure. I don't think so."

John glared playfully at her, trying to lighten up the mood a little, and Anna let out a chuckle.

"That's the worst. I sympathise with him," he said, and now it was Anna's turn to glare at him, "No, seriously. I spent seven years with Amelia's mother. I thought everything was fine. Then all of sudden she tells me she's met someone, and wants the divorce."

"Ouch."

John shook his head, "I was devastated when she told me, but after a while, it made sense. Things weren't the same they had been. She just realised that before I did. For us, it was better that way. For Amelia... Well, she never got to live with her mother properly. Kate left when she was really young."

"Probably better than living with parents who don't love each other," Anna said thoughtfully.

"Probably," John agreed, "But then, she's growing up with an absent mother."

"Her mother doesn't visit a lot, then?"

"Once or twice a year," he replied, and Anna looked at him curiously. "Kate lives in Italy. Amelia is used to her mother being away, but Kate has been a little distant these past months. She rarely calls, rarely sends emails. Well, Amelia misses her."

"It's only natural," Anna commented, "It's a shame that she doesn't call more often, though."

John nodded, "Indeed. But she's living elsewhere, she has remarried. She was never around much for Amelia to miss her every day. She's learning how to deal with it," he said quietly, "My only concern is that someday Kate will want to make up for the lost time and Amelia won't be willing to do so."

Anna smiled sympathetically, "Leave these concerns for the future. You seem to be a good dad, and she seems like a happy child, if you want my opinion," she grinned at him, "A happy child with a father who can't properly do bunches in her hair."

John screwed up his face, and laughed out loud.

"You noticed that?" he asked, and Anna nodded and let out a laugh, "I worked very hard on those, you know!"

"Well, they're not bad. Just... asymmetrical. And Amelia looks adorable all the same," she told him softly, "It's a credit to you as a father to have tried doing that."

John chuckled, "Thanks. She just loves these... different hair things. And I'm not good with them, but she hasn't noticed that yet, so it's alright, for now."

"For now," Anna said, fighting a grin.

"Well, my mother keeps telling to find a good stepmother to Amelia, so this hair thing is probably good criteria material," John told her, "I have tried the stepmother thing and it didn't work. I should have known she couldn't make bunches in Amelia's hair. Symmetrical bunches, of course."

"Of course," Anna agreed, the grin she had been holding back completely free now, and there was teasing in her voice when she spoke again. "And don't forget that the stepmother should like you too. That's an important thing."

"Indeed," he said, "Amelia and I are like a package, after all."

They exchanged a smile, but the moment was broken when they heard Amelia's voice.

"Daddy! Anna!" she said excitedly, a few feet away from them, pointing at a tree, "A squirrel!"

"Sounds like a fine package," Anna said softly, a teasing smile on her lips, as she started to walk towards Amelia.

He didn't move for a moment, a little dumbstruck; Anna really was one of a kind. He started to walk a few steps behind her, an amused smile playing on his lips.

Amelia jumped excitedly, looking at the small squirrel in fascination, and John smiled at the sight she presented: her bunches – asymmetrical, as Anna had told him – were now very loose; Amelia's face was a little sweaty from running around and playing on such a warm day, but the bright smile she had on her lips were what made her most adorable. Anna was right. She was a happy child – and he'd always try to maintain that, even with Kate not being around.

Anna pointed at the squirrel and said something; Amelia giggled happily at whatever Anna had said. Anna's eyes locked with his, and she smiled. He was smiling back before he noticed.

"Oops," he heard Amelia saying, as one of the elastics that held her hair together loosened up completely and fell to the ground. Amelia picked it up and held for him, "Daddy, it fell off, can you do it again?"

He heard Anna's giggle and was about to roll his eyes when Anna crouched down and picked the elastic from the little girl's hand.

"I can do that, Amelia. Don't tell Daddy, but I can do it better than he does," Anna whispered, winking at the little girl and making her giggle. She did the bunch rather quickly, even arranging the other one as well. She arched her eyebrows at John when she finished.

"Very good," he said as he looked at Amelia's hair, "Darling, what do you say to Anna?"

"Thank you, Anna!" Amelia said hurriedly, her attention already back at the squirrel.

"You're welcome," Anna said with a smile that turned into a cheeky grin when she looked at John. "Did you learn how to do it?"

John rolled his eyes, "Just because you're better than me doesn't mean you can show off, you know," he looked at his watch, "We should be going. I think someone is going to have an early night today."

Anna chuckled, "A very well-deserved early night, in my opinion. She had fun."

"That she did. Amelia, time to go," he called for her, then looked at Anna, "You said you were walking home. Can we give you a ride?"

She seemed a little surprised at his question, "What? Oh, no, John, you don't have to, it's really not that far away."

"Come on, Anna, it's no trouble. It's the least I can do for having your company this afternoon," he said quietly, and Anna seemed to accept it. Amelia approached them, obviously a little upset to be leaving.

"Do we really need to leave, Daddy?"

"Yes, we do. We're having dinner with Grandpa, remember?" John said, taking Amelia's hand and walking towards one of the exits of the park.

They got to his car quickly, and John opened the passenger's door for Anna as Amelia already got in, still a little agitated; he buckled Amelia up on the backseat and got to the driver's side. With Anna's directions, they reached her flat in only a few minutes – she only lived a couple of blocks from the park.

"Thanks for the ice cream and the afternoon," she said with a smile, "I really had fun."

"So did we," John said, looking to the back of the car where Amelia's energies seemed to be dying off. Her eyes were a little sleepy and she was very quiet. Anna chuckled.

"Well, thanks for the ride too," she added, "I guess I'll see you on Monday."

John frowned, "Monday?"

"Amelia's ballet class," Anna explained; at the mention of the word ballet, Amelia seemed to be interested on the conversation, "Be ready to dance, Amelia."

"Yes!" the little girl said animatedly, and Anna laughed.

"Bye, John," she said lingering, then opened the door and got out. "Bye, Amelia!"

"Bye, Anna!"

John waved her goodbye, then looked at Amelia through the rear-view. "Don't you go sleeping now, young lady. It's far too early for that."

"I'm not sleeping now!" Amelia defended herself, apparently not sleepy anymore.

John looked at Anna, who was just now entering her building – she waved at them one more time before going in, and John turned on the car again and started driving off.

"Did you have fun, little one?"

"Yes, I had lots of fun," Amelia nodded vehemently, "I really like Anna. Don't you like Anna, Daddy?"

John smiled fondly before he answered, "I do. I like her very much."


	6. Chapter 6

**N/A:** Sorry about the delay! I'll try to post another chapter soon, but I think that's for next week. Thanks for everyone who has been reading and reviewing - hope you'll like this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Anna knew she was later than usual as she hurried down the hall. Although she had no classes this morning, she did have a lot to do all the same. As she reached the last door at the end of the hall it opened rather hastily to reveal Ethel and Gwen.

"Hey," she greeted them animatedly. Gwen smiled and greeted her quietly, while Ethel yawned before following Gwen out of the room.

"You're late, you know that, don't you?" Ethel said with a cheeky grin. Anna rolled her eyes.

"Should I remind you that I'm the boss and I don't have any classes until ten? I'm not late," she shook her head at Ethel.

Gwen ignored Ethel and started walking away, and Ethel seemed to let it go; they both had classes in a few minutes and they should be off soon.

"Good morning, Jane," Anna said with a smile. Jane looked up from her magazine and smiled back.

"Morning, Anna," she greeted her animatedly, "Good weekend?"

Anna nodded as she went to take a look at the chronograms. "Yes, very nice. What about yours?"

"It was nice. We went to Kirby to visit my parents," Jane told her quietly, "How was David?"

"What?" Anna asked her, momentarily forgetting that she had mentioned David would be in Harrogate on Saturday; he never called after leaving and, truth be told, Anna didn't feel like reaching out to him, like she had always done. "Oh, um, David left almost as soon as he got here."

"What? No," Jane said in disbelief, shaking her head.

"Yes. He arrived late in the morning and left before he had even finished lunch," Anna rolled her eyes, "We barely had enough time to argue."

Jane smiled sympathetically, "And here I was, thinking you were late because he was still around."

"Oh, God, no. I wish that was the cause, though," Anna shook her head, "I was late because I stayed up late finishing that book you suggested. That's pathetic, isn't it?"

Jane frowned, and Anna laughed softly, her friend joining her after a moment.

"Well, yes, but only a little. When is he coming here again?"

"Who knows? I'm not entirely sure we're still together," Anna took a deep breath, "We argued a little. He doesn't seem to care. Hasn't even called since then."

Jane pursed her lips, "Well, David is nice, but... Really, Anna, you do deserve someone who can be here for you," Anna nodded quietly, but Jane frowned once more, "So you argued with your boyfriend, he doesn't call and you're this happy? What happened during this weekend?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Nothing. I stayed home all day yesterday and on Saturday night too. I just went out to help my brother pick some furniture and later spent the afternoon in the park," she explained, but Jane continued to look at her questioningly, "With a friend. And his daughter too, just so you don't get weird ideas."

"Alright, I just wondered," her friend told her defensively, "You know, Anna, maybe it's a good thing that David hasn't called or showed up. Gives you some time to think about everything."

Anna smirked bitterly, "He's given me a lot of time to think about everything in these past months, Jane."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I can't just break up with him, we've been together for so long. And I used to think he might be the one, you know?" Anna said.

"And now you don't think that way anymore?"

Anna shook her head, "I don't know."

* * *

"Daddy!" Amelia said excitedly as she opened the door to let him in; still clad in her ballet outfit, as he had expected, but her hair was loose and she had no shoes on, just socks.

"Hey, little one," John said a little tiredly, but smiled all the same, picking up his daughter and kissing her on the cheek. "How was your day?"

"It was fun! We asked Anna to show us if she could stand on her tip-toes, and it was so pretty! I tried but I can't do it because I'm too little," Amelia explained matter-of-factly, "Then Grandpa took me here and we ate pizza and he let me have an ice cream but some of it fell off my hand and Trooper ate it."

"Did he?" John asked her and Amelia nodded with a serious expression on her face. He put her down on the floor again, and smiled when she took his hand to pull him into the house, and he was greeted by Larry. "Hey, Larry. Thanks for doing this on short notice. Any troubles?"

"Nothing at all. How was the meeting?" Larry asked as John reached behind him to close the door; Amelia let go of his hand to go back to the living room, where she had been apparently doing some homework.

"Not very good, I'm afraid," John told him with a sigh, "It lasted much longer than I thought it would and they asked much more than I think is right."

"Well, couldn't have expected anything different from that woman," Larry mumbled, "Have you eaten? There's some pizza left. We finished only fifteen minutes ago."

John gratefully accepted; Larry was far too kind to him. He supposed it was a very good thing, for them to still manage to be friends after everything - Kate leaving him, leaving the country, and with his daughter away, Larry still had a very big role in Amelia's life. He had even accepted, albeit reluctantly, Vera in their lives, for a while. After some time, when John had announced their separation, Larry would tell him all about his opinions of the woman, of how he had never found her suitable at all.

They talked about the meeting as John ate, and he found himself feeling better about it. It wasn't really surprising, no, that things were slow - when Vera wanted something she wouldn't rest until she got it - but John's attorney assured him it was only a matter of time before all this stopped.

"Amelia's ballet teacher really questioned me to make sure I was her grandfather," Larry told him when the details of the meeting were finished, "Nice girl. Amelia tells me you are friends."

"I met her a few weeks ago, at Robert's party," John explained quietly, "It was a happy coincidence that she turned out to be Amelia's teacher. Anna is certainly a reliable person."

"Amelia seems to like her a lot," Larry said, "And she enquired about you."

John frowned, "Enquired? What did she say?"

"Oh, not much," the older man told him dismissively, "She just asked if everything was alright with you. She mentioned that you had been watching the last few classes and seemed a little worried about you not being there."

John smiled inwardly. "She's a good friend."

"I'm glad," Larry said, "You should ask her out, or whatever you people do nowadays. You really need to go out more, John."

John glared at him, "I can't ask her out. I think she's in a relationship and, really, I'm in no place for one right now. Too much going on. And it would probably be unethical, with her being Amelia's teacher."

"Alright, lad, whatever you say," Larry said impatiently, "I'm not saying you need a relationship. I'm just saying you could have some fun, that's all. Think about it."

* * *

Anna closed her umbrella and cursed inwardly; of course the day she decided to walk to work would be the day it would suddenly start to rain in the middle of the afternoon. She had left the studio to relax a little - she had no classes for the rest of the day, and the confusing message from David earlier that day occupied her thoughts and she could use a little time off. She was the boss, that's what she kept on reminding herself of; she could leave a few hours earlier. As it was, she decided to stop by a coffee shop and read a little - at least her thoughts would wander else where.

She distractedly chose a table and opened her bag to try and find her book when she looked up and saw John sitting right in front of her, on a nearby table. She rolled her eyes at the coincidence, for a moment wondering if she should go and say hi; he had been watching the classes often, and they always chatted a bit once it was over. This week, however, he didn't go, and she sort of missed him there, already used to his presence.

As if on cue and knowing he was being observed, however, John looked up from his book as well and met her eyes. He smiled, and Anna was certain she was blushing. Letting out a fluttered chuckle, she waved weakly at him.

"We really need to stop meeting like this," he told her softly.

"We probably do," Anna agreed, not sure of what to say.

"Are you following me?" John asked her, and Anna laughed at his words, shaking her head.

"I'm not following you, no," she told him, "How have you been? The ladies missed you at class this week."

"Did they?" he asked her, his stare doing nothing to stop her from fluttering. "I got caught up in a meeting. How was it? Amelia tells me you even performed for them."

Anna laughed a little nervously, and shook her head. "That was hardly performing. You didn't really miss anything."

"I'm sure it must have been quite a sight, though."

Anna's heart skipped a beat - was he flirting? No, unlikely - they were friends, maybe a little more than acquaintances. There was no reason to feel nervous about anything. Anna smiled a little weakly at him, about to reply, but a waiter interrupted her.

"Can I get your order, ma'am?"

"Oh, I haven't decided yet, sorry," Anna told him, realising she hadn't even looked at the menu yet, "Give me a minute to figure it out."

She offered him a smile and the young man left them; when she looked at John he seemed distracted, so she decided to focus on the menu instead. She had almost decided on ordering her usual when he spoke up again.

"We should join each other," he told her a little nervously, and she thought it was rather endearing, "Unless you're waiting for someone, of course."

"No, I'm alone. But wouldn't you rather read?"

He closed his book and shrugged, "I can read it later."

They exchanged a smile, and Anna looked between their tables, "Should I come over, or..."

"Oh, no, I can do that," he said quickly, grabbing his book and his coffee and walking over to Anna's table, sitting in front of her. He grinned as he did so, "Hello."

"Hi," Anna greeted him animatedly, "So, where's Amelia?"

"She went to visit an art museum with school today," John explained, "I need to pick her up at 5."

"I used to love these things," Anna commented, "I bet she was excited."

"She was. She told me yesterday that if it didn't work out for her as a ballerina, she would become a painter. I'm not sure how I feel about that," John arched his eyebrows in worry, but smiled, "So, how have you been?"

"Oh, alright. Just a little stressed out, I suppose. That's why I came here. I'm supposed to be working," Anna said, "How about you?"

"Come on, Anna. We're the bosses. We can take leave early sometimes, you know," he said, winking at her, "Well, I say that but I don't do this very often. So it's a little hypocritical on my part, I suppose."

"No, it just tells me you're serious about what you do," Anna told him softly, "How's the shop going? I stopped by last week but I didn't see you."

Conversation ran smoothly for them after that, as it often did; John was truly an interesting person and Anna thought it was rather unfair to consider him a mere acquaintance. Maybe they didn't know each other very well and not for a long time, but if there was anything this past month taught her was how nice it was to spend time with him. They laughed and exchanged opinions on various topics and talked about their lives - they were friends, Anna decided. Why wouldn't they be? It shouldn't matter that she felt herself flutter and blush a little at first with him - he managed to make her forget about the mundane worries in her life, and that made her very happy.

At last, he looked at the clock and announced he needed to leave to pick up Amelia. Their drinks were long finished, and John had even indulged himself in a piece of cake - and teasing Anna later to order one for her as well - and Anna knew she should go too.

After paying their respective bills, they left the café, and upon seeing that Anna had come there walking, John offered to give her a ride home.

"Absolutely not," Anna refused, "You need to go pick up Amelia."

He rolled his eyes, "I can spare a few minutes. It's no trouble. Your flat is on the way, anyway."

Anna narrowed her eyes at him, "Where is Amelia's school?"

"Oatlands," John answered her in surrender, and Anna chuckled.

"My flat is _definitely _not on the way."

He crossed his arms in front of him, "Come on, Anna. If not for you, then for my own conscience."

She rolled her eyes but smiled, finally giving in, "Alright."

It was still raining hard when he pulled over in front of her building, and Anna was very thankful for the ride; it wasn't really a long way from the café, but she would probably have got home soaked if she had walked. Still, she felt a little guilty from making him go out of his way.

"You should hurry, or you're gonna be late for Amelia," she told him.

John glanced at the clock and smiled, "I'll be there on time, don't worry."

"Thanks for the company, and the ride. You really shouldn't have," Anna said, looking around briefly, "I should get going. Really, thank you."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek, before even thinking of it, letting it linger for a moment longer than necessary before pulling away and smiling brightly at his surprised expression. She then opened the door and got out, rain already hitting her, and she gasped in surprise, running to the front door quickly and once again cursing herself for deciding to walk to work today. She got inside and smiled - it hadn't been so bad, after all.

She had just reached the stairs when someone knocked on the front door - she frowned, thinking it was weird for someone to knock on the door of an apartment building, and for a moment thought it might be John - he didn't really know which flat was hers anyway - but she came back, thinking it wouldn't be good for whoever was outside, in the rain. She was surprised when she opened the door.

It was David.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** First of all I want to thank my friend Terrie who's been helping me a lot with this story - not only by editting it, but by giving me her opinions and that really helps a lot. Thanks, Terrie! :D Also thanks to everyone who's been reviewing and reading the story. This chapter was a little bit difficult and I'm not entirely sure if I'm happy with it, but it had to be done. ;) Hope you'll like it.

* * *

**Chapter Seven **

"What are you doing here?" Anna frowned as she spoke, surprised. She let him in and closed the door behind them.

He was a bit wet from the rain, but nothing extraordinary; she figured he had probably been waiting for her inside his car. He had a small bouquet of red roses in his hand, but, oddly enough, it didn't affect Anna. He looked at her expectantly, a little nervously. Anna remained silent.

"I came to see you," David said, offering her the flowers.

Anna took the flowers, but didn't smile. "Flowers won't help you, David."

"I know that," he said quickly, "Can we... Can we talk?"

She took a deep breath and found herself nodding. She started to walk away, back to the stairs, but didn't look behind her - she knew he was following. Her flat was on the second floor, so she didn't have to walk much. David was quiet until they reached the hallway.

"I tried to use my key downstairs, but it didn't work," he commented.

"A lady from the third floor lost hers and wouldn't give up until they changed the lock," Anna explained quietly, "They changed it last week."

They reached the door to her flat, and Anna opened it, allowing her and David to come in. She felt too uncomfortable with David there; he hadn't bothered to call her the past few weeks and only this morning left a message on her phone asking her when she'd be home. She didn't answer him - she had been beginning to think that they were, indeed, over. She supposed the next conversation would finally change something.

Anna marched to the kitchen with the flowers, and David closed the door behind him before following her.

"I went to the studio. They told me you had left early. I've been waiting for you for hours," he said questioningly, but Anna didn't elaborate, so he continued, "Who was that bloke who drove you here?"

"He's a friend. He offered me a ride home because of the rain," she told him quietly. The conversation with John already seemed days ago, "Why do you ask?"

"Just thought it was weird," he shrugged, but remained silent this time. "You kissed him."

"I kissed his cheek to thank him for the ride. He needed to be somewhere else and he still drove me here," Anna said, "and I don't need to explain myself to you."

Anna put the flowers in a vase, all the while feeling his eyes on her, and she was getting impatient. He kept silent.

"So?" she asked him, turning away and leaning back on the counter. "Why are you here?"

He leaned into the doorway and managed a nervous smile. "To see you, obviously."

"Don't be a smartass, David," Anna said, her tone quiet but strong, "You haven't called in three weeks. Did you expect me to welcome you with open arms after our last conversation?"

"I'm sorry. I've thought about what you said," he started, but she remained silent, "I think we can make it right, Anna. We've never had any problems in our relationship, and I... Well, I want you in my life."

Anna shook her head slowly.

"That's not enough anymore, David."

He was visibly surprised at her words, and took a moment to recover. His words were rushed when he spoke again.

"I got the promotion," he said, "I'm partner to the company now. They want me in London, and I want you to come with me."

"Move to London? With you?" Anna repeated, "My life is in Harrogate, David. I can't just throw it all away. My family is here, and there's the studio..."

"You can sell your part to Mary and find a teaching job in London," David offered, "We can move to London. We could get married here, if you wanted to. We can live in a nice flat, imagine the life..."

"No, David. No," Anna interrupted him, "I won't sell my part of the studio to Mary. She may be the owner as much as I am, but I'm the one who runs it. You don't know how the dance field is in London. There's too much competition, and I'd never make as much money as a teacher, especially there."

"But you won't need to!" David said exasperatedly, "Money won't be a problem, Anna. Honey, can't you just see..."

"I can see just right, it only took me a while to do so," she interrupted him once more, "My job is important to me. I've dedicated a lot to that studio, and you see it as a... a hobby! I'm happy for your promotion, and I think you should go to London. This is why you've worked so hard the past years. But I won't... I won't go with you."

"But I… We… We had plans, Anna!" David said, shaking his head in disbelief, "Remember? We wanted to travel and to have our own place, and… God, Anna, I love you!"

"Do you really?" Anna replied, her voice agitated, "Do you even know me? I feel like the last two years were nothing, David. You say we had plans – did we, really? We never planned ahead, we just… I feel like we don't know each other anymore."

He exhaled slowly, and Anna observed at he ran his hands through his hair. It was for the best, she told herself.

"This is your decision, then?" he said at last, and when she looked at his face, she saw no emotion whatsoever, "After all these years?"

Anna chose to stare at the floor, and nodded silently; she felt unshed tears in her eyes, but she didn't cry. It was understandable. It wasn't for losing him, not really - to be honest, she felt as if they had lost each other a long time ago. The realisation was now clearer than ever; they had no future together.

"Alright, then. I... I understand," he said at last, "Is there... Did I leave anything here?"

Anna's eyes met his, but he averted them quickly, choosing to look elsewhere - anywhere.

"No, there's nothing yours here," she shook her head.

He nodded thoughtfully, both understanding truly what that meant. "I... I should get going."

She followed him out of the kitchen and into the narrow hallway that led to the door. Opening the door, she turned to look at him again, and this time he didn't look away.

"Have fun in London," she said, managing a smile, "You're a great guy, David. You'll do fine."

He smiled sadly, and moved to hug her tightly, "Be happy, Anna."

He kissed her hair one more time, smiled when he returned the copies of her keys to her and left without looking behind him.

Anna moved around the flat restlessly, sitting on the couch at last, dejectedly. She was single, for the first time in years. The life she had planned wasn't within her reach anymore - she didn't think it ever was. She took a deep breath. Thirty years old, single. She hadn't seen that coming. It was for the best, of course, but she hadn't planned it this way.

It was still raining hard then, and Anna looked out to the window, seeing David's car driving away. He was gone.

* * *

John sighed tiredly as he looked around the office; it seemed like the hour went by very, very slowly. His lawyer was busy reading new documents, and Vera was all too interested in her phone to even look at him. He hated these meetings. They rarely made any progress nowadays.

He found himself wondering once more how his opinion of Vera had changed in such a short span of time. It had taken him some time to actually want to find someone else; it had been difficult enough with a small child, and Vera hadn't seemed to mind at the time. And six months into the marriage he had already been regretting everything. He was glad it was over – and he hoped he would soon be free of her.

The phone ringing interrupted them, and his lawyer answered it and excused himself from the room; as Vera's lawyer was already very late, John didn't mind. He caught her eye as he turned, and she seemed pleased with herself for him to appreciate it. He sighed again and took a look at his watch.

"He's on his way," Vera told him, her voice loud in the silent office, "So stop fidgeting. You don't have anywhere to be, anyway."

He ruffled, "How would you know that?"

She shrugged, "Just a guess," her blue eyes were icy against his, "How's the shop going?"

"Why? Do you want to take the shop too?" he automatically answered, his tone sharp. She arched her eyebrows.

"Always about money," she shook her head dramatically, "Well, that and the little brat. You know, we could have been good together, John."

John crossed his arms in front of him. "Don't talk about Amelia like that."

"You were the one who assumed I was talking about her," Vera smirked, "I'm serious. We could have been good together."

"I don't think so. Not in this life, anyway," he said carefully, "And it wouldn't be all about money if you weren't so unreasonable all the time. I can't wait to talk to this little lawyer of yours. He's new, right?"

"He is. And he's very competent," she pointed out, "We could get back together. That would make this all stop."

He stared at her for a moment, unsure of what she meant. Of course she was joking, he realised when he noticed her lips twitch ever so slightly. She couldn't be so unreasonable as to think they could ever get back together.

"Oh, yes. Let's get back to fighting, and cheating, and my daughter being unhappy," he shook his head, "Just stop asking so much. We had a pre-nuptial agreement and you're not making sense. How can your lawyer even think this is fair? It's only making the process slow down."

"Believe me, I want this to end as soon as possible. But I don't want to leave empty-handed," she told him, "And Dan thinks it's all fair, really. After all the emotional damage you caused, the least you can do is give me more money."

"Emotional damage?" John asked in disbelief, "Is that what you told him? You…"

"If necessary we're taking this all to a judge," she told him harshly, "so you better watch your mouth."

He was still shaking his head when his lawyer entered the room again, this time accompanied by her lawyer and John prepared himself psychologically by what would come next. He could never predict what Vera could mean, and as much as he wasn't in a hurry, he wanted to get this all over with as soon as possible, for his own sake.

He did not need to handle that woman a second more than necessary.

* * *

Anna looked at her ringing phone and read 'Ethel'. She shook her head. Saturday morning and Ethel was already hunting her down to go out at night – and that was happening for the fourth week in a roll, ever since Anna's break-up. She kept on walking, leaving the building behind her. She ignored Ethel's call, noticing the time now. Almost noon and she was still working; this was definitely not the way she had planned on spending her Saturday.

Not that she had planned anything, of course. Having been officially single for a little over a month now didn't really change Anna's routine. Apart from going for some drinks with the girls the week before – Ethel had it in her mind that Anna needed alcohol to get over her break-up – her life still hadn't changed one bit. Everyone seemed to think she would pour her heart out soon after the break-up, and of course, in a way, Anna felt empty. Despite David not being around, she had someone – all she had now was uncertainty. People seemed to think she needed to move on, and quickly; even Mary had already mentioned she'd introduce her to someone in her next visit. Anna shivered at the thought of long, meaningless dates to strange men. She had thought she was way past that.

She quickly decided to not return to the studio. Maybe she'd have lunch in one of the many restaurants in the street. Perhaps she could pay her parents a visit in the afternoon.

She took her hair off of her face as a particular wild rush of wind met her, but bumped into someone in the process.

"I'm sorry, I…"

Anna turned to apologise, but the woman in question stormed off without even looking at her face. Anna shrugged, briefly smoothing her skirt, and when she looked ahead she was met by John Bates' smile.

"Some people are really impolite, aren't they?" he asked softly, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, just fine," Anna said with a smile, "Well, I tried to apologise."

"Nah, don't worry. She wouldn't accept it anyway. That was my ex-wife," he pointed out, and Anna frowned, turning to look at the woman one more time.

Anna watched as the woman got into a car and stormed away, not even acknowledging them. Anna cringed.

"Well, she seems…" Anna hesitated a little before saying anything, but at John's chuckle she felt comfortable again, "She doesn't seem very nice, sorry."

"That's because she isn't."

"She isn't Amelia's mother, is she?"

"No, no," he answered immediately, "Thank God she isn't. Kate gives me enough trouble as it is, though not as much as that one."

"I'm sorry," she said sympathetically, adjusting her bag on her shoulder, "You've really got your hands full, haven't you?"

His smile was a little bitter, she noticed, and he shrugged. She took the opportunity to truly look at him now. He was wearing casual clothes, and his hair was bit messy from the wind, she presumed. They had been meeting each other occasionally, sometimes not even on purpose, sometimes with Amelia, sometimes without her, and Anna enjoyed his company, and Amelia's too. The little girl always seemed to make Anna laugh with her strong opinions and sweet chats.

"So, what brings you here?" he asked her.

"I was over at my friend's. We were choosing which outfits the girls would wear for the Christmas presentation," Anna said, "Amelia will love it."

"I'm sure she will," he agreed with a smile, "I don't suppose you can tell me how it looks like."

"My lips are sealed. But she'll be the cutest thing wearing it," she added excitedly, earning a chuckle from John. "What about you? What brings you here?"

"Meeting with Vera and our lawyers. Always cheering me up," he winked at her, then looked around briefly, "Do you want to get some lunch?"

Caught in surprise, Anna found herself nodding.

"Sure. I was already planning to do that, but it's even better with company," she said him with a smile.

"Depending on the company, of course."

"Well, yours is worth it," she told him softly, "Come on, let's go."

* * *

**A/N:** No Amelia, and not a lot of Anna/John interaction, but I assure you we'll see more of that soon. Things have changed now! :P I'll try to get next chapter ready next week, but I've only just started it and things have been busy, so it might take a little more than that for a new chapter. I'll do my best, though - if you're still interested, of course! :)


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Finished it earlier than I thought. ;) Hope you'll like it! I'd love to know your thoughts on this one! Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

"She asked me to teach her how to drive a few days ago," John shook his head as Anna let out an incredulous laugh, "A five-year-old wanting to drive. I don't know where she gets these notions. I'm cutting short her telly time, that's for sure."

He took a sip of his drink as he watched Anna laugh. He had been pleasantly surprised to see Anna earlier. His meeting with Vera had been better than he had initially hoped for, which was a nice change. Things were finally working out and he definitely could see the divorce complete by the end of the year. When Anna accepted his lunch invitation, he knew he'd be having a good day.

He caught himself, though. He and Anna had been meeting frequently now, often after Amelia's ballet class and he had even caught her once at his own book shop. He'd admit to being happy – perhaps more than he should have been – when she mentioned she was now single, but he settled for thinking that would make her happier; her boyfriend never seemed to take much interest in what she did, something he couldn't quite believe; how could anyone take Anna for granted, when she was so special, full of life and so, so lovely?

"I'm sorry. I'm talking about Amelia again. You're probably finding me so annoying," he mentioned, but Anna shook her head immediately.

"No, not at all. I like children and I know Amelia. She's a great little girl, with a lot of imagination," she chuckled, "Please don't teach her how to drive until she's tall enough to do so."

"I won't. Though she might be like you and never be tall enough," he teased her, and she playfully reached across the table to smack his arm lightly, "I'm kidding."

She glared at him, but smiled all the same, "You better be."

"I am. I like short women," he winked and Anna laughed, "It's true!"

"That's good to know," she smiled, but the offending noise of her phone ringing interrupted them. Anna took it out of her bag, and apparently ignored the call. She looked at him apologetically, "I'm sorry."

"No, please. Don't ignore it on my account."

"No, it's just a friend. She probably wants me to go out with her tonight. She thinks I need to get myself a new man soon," Anna rolled her eyes, "Guess that's what it feels like to be single at my age. When I was younger it seemed so much…"

"Easier?" he offered when she hesitated.

But Anna shook her head and smiled, "No, not easier. Perhaps less pressure. I don't know," she shrugged, then snickered, "I don't even know how to date anymore!"

"If you're feeling that way after four years, imagine how I felt after seven. And here I am again, single," John smiled, "But don't worry, Anna. You're young, you're smart and you're beautiful. You won't be single for long."

"Well, thank you," she let out a nervous laugh, "but it's not about being single, or in relationship. I was in a relationship and it didn't even look like it! I've learnt my lesson," she said determinedly, "It must be even more difficult to you, with Amelia."

John shrugged, "Well, it can be difficult. Most women aren't particularly interested in another woman's child, so most of them don't take the fact that I raise a daughter on my own very well."

Anna pursed her lips, "That's hardly fair, especially when she's such a sweet little girl. But that's not what I meant," she said teasingly, "I meant difficult for you to find someone. Surely you have higher standards now, with her involved."

"Oh, definitely. Especially after Vera," he told her, "I still need to find someone who can make bunches in Amelia's hair as well as you did."

His eyes were twinkling in mischief and he found himself smiling when Anna giggled at his tone. She blinked a couple of times before looking at him.

"Really? Have you had anyone making bunches in her hair, then?"

"No," he shook his head solemnly, "None but you, that is."

For a moment he regretted it all; their teasing felt natural and he could hardly contain it, but it didn't feel right. He took a sip of his drink and went back to his food, chancing a look at Anna, who was blushing a little, but she smiled all the same. It all felt so natural with her and, looking at her now, he realised for the first time that he was in trouble.

Lunch, as it turned out, had been a long affair. They had stopped eating but continued sharing stories and personal views. He felt enchanted by her. Perhaps it was the successful meeting he had in the morning, but everything seemed better today – including Anna. She smiled easily at him, laughed nervously sometimes and flirted back. He watched how she averted her eyes when he complimented her on something, how her bright eyes were so focused on him when he spoke; Anna wasn't like any woman. She was young, younger than him anyway, but she was serious and fun and she seemed truly interested. He felt like he could stay there, talking to her, for the whole day.

In fact, they had been there for quite some time when he decided to check on his watch; Kate's sister was in town, and Amelia had begged him to let her stay at her grandfather's to play with her cousins. John had given in, but his own mother would be spending the weekend and he needed to get her from the station soon, else he'd be late.

"I can't believe we were there for more than three hours," Anna mentioned when they left the restaurant, side by side. "I'm sure they wanted to just kick us out."

"I'm sorry I had to cut this short," he told her as they crossed the street.

"Don't worry. We'll have more opportunities," she said with a smile, "I'm not sure Amelia will be so happy to see you, though."

"She probably won't. I'll bet she didn't even miss me," he said, shaking his head, "Women."

Anna laughed, "Come on, we're not that bad."

They stopped in front of her car and Anna rummaged around her bag to find her keys. She looked up at him with a smile once she did.

"I had a lovely time, John," she told him softly, "We should stop meeting by chance and start planning to go out, you know."

"That's a nice idea," he noticed she made no movement to enter her car just yet. "I wasn't sure you'd accept my invitations to go out, though."

"Oh, right. Because we both have a dreadful time whenever we're together," she rolled her eyes and he smiled, "Well, goodbye then."

She stood closer to him than before and he watched as she looked up a bit expectantly; standing on her tip-toes, she moved to kiss his cheek, much like she had done a few times before, and in the rush of a second John made up his mind. Turning his head ever so slightly, he caught her lips.

He kissed her, and she tasted like the sweet strawberry juice she had been drinking. Her lips were soft and warm, pliable beneath his, and for a moment the only coherent thought he had was how he had gone so long without kissing her. He felt her hands on his shoulders, and she was kissing him back, somewhat surprising him, besides everything. He slipped his arms around her waist and brought her closer to him, feeling her small body against his as she moved her arms to his neck, her lips eager against his.

They parted after a moment, and when he opened his eyes she still had hers closed. He brought his hand to her face and caressed her lower lip for a second before she opened her own eyes. She smiled.

"You have no idea how much I've wanted to do that," he confessed, and Anna giggled.

"Well, you and me both," she said, bringing her hands to rest against his chest as she reached to give him another peck on his lips, "Have fun with your mum this weekend. And tell Amelia I said hi."

"I will," he told her, but when neither made any movement to leave they both chuckled. "I really need to go."

"I know," she said quietly, a small smile playing on her lips as they finally let go of each other, "I'll see you on Monday?"

"You most definitely will," he grinned as he bent down to give her one more kiss. Anna giggled as he finally let her go. She was still smiling when she turned to look at him one more time before getting into her car. "Drive safely."

She grinned, "The same goes for you."

He walked slowly to his car, which, coincidentally, was parked right in front of hers and waved as she passed by him, watching her car disappear as it turned the corner, and he smiled to himself.

He was in a lot of trouble, indeed.

* * *

"Leanne was sure she'd get the part," Mary told her, "Imagine her face when she found out I got it."

"I'm so happy for you," Anna said sincerely.

Mary came to Harrogate in one of her rare visits and Anna was more than happy to see her friend again. And this time, she came with happy news: she had finally been promoted to senior principal and would be playing Clara in The Nutcracker. Anna was happy for her, of course; she had played Clara too, and the ballet itself was sort of bittersweet to her; it had been her first and last big role.

Complaining of busy schedules, Mary had invited herself over to Anna's place to do some very much needed catching up; it had been quite some time since they did so. After eating, they were sat on the couch drinking some wine. Mary was still talking animatedly of auditions and tests, and Anna filled her glass one more time.

"I'll have to try and be a better Clara than you were," Mary commented, and Anna took a sip of her wine, "You were perfect. People still talk about you."

Anna shook her head, "That was a long time ago. Just take it easy. Don't overwork like I did."

"I won't. You'll have to come and see me once we start performing," Mary said excitedly, "Does your ankle bother you much nowadays?"

"Oh, no. Hardly," she said, "I teach children, after all. I don't do risky manoeuvres."

Mary frowned, "But don't you miss it?"

"Of course I do," Anna told her, "That's why about once a week I go to one of the classrooms and dance on my own."

Mary chuckled, "That sounds very depressing, Anna."

"It's actually very relaxing, if you must know," Anna said with a smile, "Tell me when you start performing. I'll be there."

Mary was still chuckling as she drank her wine, and Anna let her mind wander for a moment. It was a beautiful night outside. She briefly wondered what John was doing right now. Probably trying to survive between his mother and his daughter; from what he told her, apparently they both could be very stubborn and were like a united front against him. She doubted that was the case, but it did make her imagine John battling a dinner choice against a little girl and an older woman.

"So," Mary started, and Anna turned to find her friend with a curious look on her face, "how's your life? You already know all about mine, and I know you're more than alright without David. But how are you, really? Met anyone interesting?"

Anna smiled, "Not recently, no. And I'm fine, I've told you that."

"Why do I get the feeling there's something you're not telling me?" Mary asked with a knowing smile, "Come on, Anna."

"Well, there's someone. But it could mean nothing, you know. And I'm still debating how ethical it is," Anna started, rolling her eyes at the last sentence. Mary frowned at her words. "His daughter is my student."

"That should be interesting. So you're dating a family man," Mary teased.

"I'm not _dating_ him," Anna corrected her, "We're just friends, his daughter is a cute little girl, and we went out a couple of times. Sometimes with his daughter along. And we've only kissed once. That doesn't really count."

"It counts when you haven't been kissed in a while," Mary murmured, and Anna glared at her. "Well, it's true! Anyway, what's he like?"

Anna fidgeted awkwardly with her glass, taking one more sip before answering.

"Well, that's the thing. You know him," she told her, "It's John, your father's friend."

Mary laughed, "What? No. John Bates?" Anna nodded. "Well, that's unexpected. From you and from him. I've always thought he had terrible taste in women. His ex-wives were dreadful. All pretty, but dreadful. And you've always known my opinion of David."

"But?"

"But you're both great people, even if you make an unlikely pair," she said at last, "Are you sure it's wise, Anna? You're barely out of a relationship."

"Well, he's nice, and he makes me laugh. And he's so attentive," Anna commented, "Maybe the timing is not ideal, but it's not like I can choose," she shrugged, "And anyway, it might be nothing. It might be just a one-time thing."

"I suppose. But you seem awfully giddy for it to be just a one-time thing," Mary said, arching her eyebrows, "Keep me updated, will you?"

"It might be nothing."

"I know, but I'd hate to be shocked and find out through Mama that you're together. They are friends, after all. Did you know they're Amelia's godparents?"

"Really?"

"Yeah," Mary nodded, and rolled her eyes as another thought crossed her mind, "This would give her weird ideas. She'd see potential boyfriends in Papa's friends."

Anna laughed, "That's not all that bad."

Mary grinned, "You tell me."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **This chapter looked like hell to me at first so I think it's improved a lot now. Thanks for helping me out here, Terrie! :) Sorry for taking longer than usual to update. The last weeks were kind of busy. Hope you'll like the chapter - do tell me what you thought of it! Thanks so much for reading!

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Anna barely listened as Gwen spoke, quickly checking herself in the huge floor-length mirror of the classroom for the hundredth time. She looked alright, after three classes in the afternoon. Maybe she should loosen up her hair, though. No, that wasn't nice to teach. Perhaps a bun would be nicer. Or too uptight? She wasn't sure. She shouldn't have worn her pink unitard. It made her look too pale sometimes.

"Anna, you seem nervous," Gwen noticed, frowning, "What's the matter?"

"It's nothing," Anna dismissed her, "Do you think I look too pale in pink? Does it make me look plain?"

Gwen rolled her eyes, "Anna, you're not plain. Why are you worried about this now?"

"I was just wondering," she told her, but a look of understanding appeared on Gwen's face.

"It's Monday. Your friend is coming," she said with a smile, "You like him, don't you?"

"He's very nice, yes," Anna said defensively.

"I'm sure he thinks you're nice too," Gwen's tone was teasing, "I haven't seen you this nervous in… well, never. Don't worry."

Anna rolled her eyes, "It's not that. We sort of… have a connection, I don't know. And at first I thought it meant something, but now I'm starting to think it was nothing. It should be nothing. He's getting divorced, and I've been single only for a few weeks, it's better if it's nothing."

"These aren't real reasons, Anna."

"I know! But maybe it meant more to me than it did to him," Anna said, taking a deep breath, "Well, anyway, you're right. I've got nothing to be nervous about. It's just John. We're friends."

"Yeah, don't worry. And you look fine," she added with a smile, "You have a ballerina's body, after all."

"_Former_ ballerina," Anna corrected her, "but thanks. And about the audition, you should do it."

"Anna, it's the Northern Ballet," Gwen shook her head, "They won't want me. I doubt I'm up to their standards."

"Gwen, I danced for them. And you dance very well," she told her, "Just because you haven't danced for a big company doesn't mean you don't stand a chance. You're great. And I'm saying this fully knowing I can lose one of my best teachers."

They shared a smile, but the sound of the door opening made them both startle; Anna couldn't help but smile brighter when she saw little Amelia opening the door with a happy look on her face. Her small ponytail bounced as she ran towards Anna and Gwen.

"Hi Anna!" she said brightly as she stopped right in front of them, "I can stand on my tip-toes now, see?"

Anna giggled when she saw Amelia focused and standing on her tip-toes for about two seconds; Gwen smiled at the little girl and winked at Anna, walking towards the now open door.

"I can see it, and you're doing great!" Anna told her excitedly, earning another smile. The little girl was apparently in a very good mood. Anna glanced at the door, seeing Gwen leaving, and she felt herself flutter a little at the sight of John in the doorway, looking at the both of them. He was smiling. "Hey, you."

"Hey," he greeted her, walking slowly towards her and Amelia, "Good weekend?"

Anna nodded, "Very nice. Yours?"

Before he could answer, however, Amelia's excited voice interrupted.

"It was so nice, Anna! Granny was around and we baked a cake!" she told her, "And yesterday we all watched three whole Barbie movies, and she was a ballerina in one of them and I told Granny she was just like you, 'cause she really was."

Anna stifled a laugh at the thought of John doing a Barbie movie marathon with his daughter – it seemed very adorable, if Anna were honest. But Amelia was speaking seriously and talking about her to John's mother, of all people! Trying not to make much of it, she exchanged a look with John, who seemed positively surprised at his daughter's excited interruption.

"Oh, dear. I'm flattered," Anna bent down to talk to Amelia, "Was the cake any good?"

The little girl nodded solemnly, "Daddy said it was the best chocolate cake he ever ate!"

"You'll have to give me the recipe, then," Anna said, pinching Amelia's nose and making her smile, "I doubt I can be a better baker than you, but I suppose I can try."

"I can teach you if you'd like, it's not very difficult," Amelia said matter-of-factly.

"Anna cooks very well, Amelia, or so I've been told," John said, looking at Anna, "I still need to try that Shepherd's pie."

Anna laughed, "Of course. You'll have to try it someday."

He grinned, and was just about to speak when Amelia talked again.

"Can I turn the stereo on, Anna?" she asked her softly, "I really want to dance."

Anna nodded, "Of course you can, sweetie."

Amelia quickly ran towards the stereo, turning it on and resuming dancing in the middle of the room. John let out a laugh.

"She talked about you all day yesterday," he mentioned, and Anna blushed slightly, "She might ask you to dance something from the Swan Lake later."

"Aren't you a good daddy, watching Barbie ballerina movies all day?" She teased him, nervously tucking a loose lock of hair behind her ear.

"I'm used to it," he shrugged, "It made my mother curious, I must say."

Anna laughed softly and averted her eyes, choosing to focus on Amelia, who was twirling around – successfully this time – in the middle of the room, with a Beyoncé song in the background.

Of course it had meant something, and she could start to believe it wasn't only for her. John seemed slightly nervous too; it was difficult to talk freely with Amelia in the room, but Anna felt that gave her a sense of security, she didn't know why. They had nothing serious, and Anna was sure John wouldn't say anything to Amelia, even if he planned on going out with her again. All of sudden, it struck Anna – it wasn't just about them, it was about her too. She wouldn't blame John if he never asked her out or if he pretended nothing happened.

Anna pushed those thoughts aside as she turned to look at him again, only to find him staring at her. She smiled, and crossed her arms in front of her, expecting him to say something. Finally, he did.

"I know it's kind of early, but I can't stay today," he said apologetically, "I need to be in Leeds soon, but I'll be back to get her at the end of the class."

"It's no problem. The others should be arriving soon."

He nodded, "Thanks. Also," he hesitated for a moment, "I'm very much interested in seeing you again. But I realised I have yet to get your number. I suppose we should start doing things properly now."

Anna let out a relieved laugh, "What, no more chance meetings?"

"Well, we can't stop them if they happen," he told her, "I suppose we can add some planned meetings to them. If you want to, that is."

"I do," she smiled sweetly at him as he got his phone out of his pocket to get her number.

Amelia was now playing around the bars in front of the mirror – it never ceased to amaze Anna how some girls had so much fun in the classroom – and he saved her number, promising to call her to arrange them a date. He apologised for not having an impromptu invitation, as he needed to be sure Amelia had someone to stay with her, but Anna didn't mind and found his nervous explanation of this fact endearing. He seemed truly sorry he couldn't stay for the class, but Anna assured it would be no problem and Amelia wouldn't be a bother.

"Amelia, careful with those bars," he said as Amelia played, "Now come and give Daddy a kiss before I leave."

She ran happily to him, kissing his cheek and hugging him tightly before going back to the bars.

He smiled affectionately at Anna as he started to walk away.

"See you later, Anna," he told her, "Do keep an eye on the little ballerina for me."

Anna smiled, "Don't worry, I will."

* * *

Any doubts Anna might have had about John vanished when he, indeed, invited her out for what she supposed would be the first time. It had had to be postponed – John had no one to stay with Amelia on Friday – but Anna understood; they settled on Saturday, after she heard his many apologies and laughed it off by saying she didn't mind.

He asked her if she liked seafood, and took her to a very cosy, very nice little restaurant, in a nearby village. To Anna, it was perfect. She had briefly worried if they'd be able to maintain a nice conversation after this change in their relationship, but she soon found out she had nothing to worry about. Much like every conversation they had, she loved knowing more about him, knowing his opinions on different matters, discussing trivial topics. Anna knew he had a passion for books, and it was clear the book store was more than just a job for him.

"Did you always want to work with books?" she asked when he mentioned the store.

"Yes, ever since I can remember. I wanted to be a writer, when I was a boy, but I guess I lack creativity," he said with a smile, "My father used to take me to several shops and buy old, new, any kind of book, really. We used to do what we called 'book marathons', where we'd visit every book store we saw along the streets. My mother went crazy. She was always saying there wasn't enough space for so many books."

Anna laughed; she could just see him, as a little boy, walking around with books on his hands, excitedly talking to his father about it. It was an all too sweet image, an easy one to imagine, as she remembered how excited he got when talking of a new book he wanted to read.

"But we bought them anyway. My dad never cared," he shook his head, smiling at the memory, "When he died, my mom told me to take any books I wanted. She likes to read too, but she was never as eager as my dad, so most of his books are gone now. I'll admit he was a little out of control sometimes. He used to say, 'so many books, so little time'."

Anna laughed, "Well, he was right. We don't have enough time to do what we like."

"There's never enough time, no," he agreed, "But it was good for me, to know the importance of reading. That's what I try to do with Amelia."

"And you're doing a good job," Anna told him, "She told me this week she read a new book this weekend. About fairy tales. She told me she loves mythology."

John shook his head, "She's been learning a lot of new words, that's for sure. She thinks all kinds of stories tales are part of mythology. I'm glad she knows how to read now. I'd stay hours reading to her. I still do that, of course, but she's eager to read on her own now."

"You must know a lot about _mythology_, then," Anna teased him.

"Oh, yes. I know every princess tale there is, really," he told her, "Even invented some. Those are her favourites, I should tell you."

"And you said you lacked creativity to be a writer," she said with a smile.

Dinner was spent leisurely, but all too soon the time to leave came. John suggested they went for a walk around the village. Anna agreed; despite the late hour, she didn't feel quite ready to end their date.

He took her hand when they left the restaurant, and her hand was so tiny and cold against his that she felt herself warming up almost instantly. They held hands while walking, and, during a moment of silence, Anna briefly wondered why she spent so much time with David; it was a bit odd, she had to admit, dating again, but John made it all very easy. Despite their initial nervousness, which only lasted a couple of seconds, everything had been just… perfect. And at this Anna had to bite her lip. She didn't want to jinx it. Yes, he had a daughter, and he was technically still married, but that didn't make things harder, no.

The night was clear and the stars were shining brightly above them; when Anna mentioned it she discovered he liked astronomy, and they had fun trying to remember some stars' names.

"Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Andromeda, Bellatrix," he recited.

"I can only remember Bellatrix," Anna said with a frown, "and that's only because I watched Harry Potter last week, you know!"

"Cassiopeia, Cetus, Sirius, Eridanus," he continued, "I can go on, you know."

She narrowed her eyes playfully at him, "Now you're just showing off. How do you know so many names?"

"I'm a big Harry Potter fan," he said playfully, and Anna smacked him softly on the arm, "No, I used to spend the holidays with my grandparents in the countryside. The sky was always much clearer there than in London, obviously. So I'd sit there, waiting for a shooting star that never came, trying to know the name of each star up there. I was an active child, or so my mother tells. I always needed an occupation."

"You must have been the neighbourhood's terror," she said with a smile, "Calling people Ursa Major and Eridanus, and they wouldn't understand and be offended…"

He laughed out loud, and she joined him, "Something like that, yes," he brought his hand to her cheek, "You have a beautiful smile. You must have been quite the enchanting ballerina onstage."

"What, I'm not enchanting anymore?" Anna asked him playfully, looking up at him.

He leaned into her, their breaths mingling and their noses almost touching. Anna felt herself flutter for a moment. His voice was barely a whisper when he spoke again.

"No, you still are," he said quietly, "Very much, I should add."

His lips crushed upon hers, and any coherent thought Anna might have had decided to hide in the back of her mind for now; she felt her knees weaken and grasped John's shoulders for support. One of his hands was stroking her waist slowly, and the other was playing with her hair. After regaining her balance, she moved her hands to his own hair, so soft and nice against her skin as he deepened the kiss.

She couldn't have wished for a better date.

* * *

"I've lived around here my whole life and I never thought of visiting," Anna shook her head as he stopped the car in front of her apartment building, sometime later, "How come you know more of the area than I do?"

They got out of the car and he took her hand again as they walked towards the front door.

He shrugged, "I like to explore."

His boyish smile made Anna's heart flutter a little. She smiled.

"So you go there often?"

"Sometimes," he replied, "There's a nice square over there and Amelia likes to play around the gardens. It's been a while since I took her, though. She'd be mad at me if I told her I went here today."

"Poor Amelia," Anna shook her head, "I hope she doesn't get mad at me, for being here with you."

They stopped walking, and John shook his head with a smile.

"Mad at you? Never. I've told you, you're her new idol. She doesn't stop talking about you and ballet."

"Hope that doesn't make you sick of me," Anna teased him.

"Never."

It was a little cliché, Anna thought when she got home and closed the door behind her, to feel this way so soon. She wouldn't go so far as saying it was love, no. But she liked John, and enjoyed his company. When he kissed her that first time a week ago, she had felt like melting into his arms, but had taken it as a sign – and at this she let out a laugh – that she had spent a fairly long time without being properly kissed. But tonight, from the little kiss when picked her up, to the kisses in the village, to the snogging in front of her apartment building, she realised it wasn't that; John Bates was just a hell of a kisser. Or maybe she was just falling for him already.

She shook her head and let out a shaky laugh. She couldn't decide which theory seemed more adequate.

Perhaps both of them were kind of right.

* * *

John smiled at his daughter, who was now holding Cora as hostage to her tea party. Cora played along with Amelia, being far more articulated at the fake party than he was. No wonder Amelia was so excited when she came over.

Robert smiled too, sipping on his scotch. "I miss my girls at this age. They bring far more problems when they grow up."

"Nice of you to cheer me up," John said, "What's the matter now?"

"Edith got engaged," Robert told him, "and they want to marry soon, apparently."

John frowned, "How's that a problem?"

"We're not sure how well Mary will take it. You know how they are," he rolled his eyes, "But you seem better. How's the divorce going?"

"Better than expected. Vera is not making anything easy, of course, but then I'm not being easy on her either," John explained, "I think it should be over soon. Then I can breathe freely again."

Robert nodded. "That's good, that's good. You know Cora and I weren't very fond of her. I'm sure you're better off on your own for now," he told him with a smile, then lowered his voice, "Just don't mention anything to Cora. She likes to set people up, and one of her friends recently divorced. She might get crazy ideas and believe me, you won't want to date that woman."

"Alright. I won't say anything. I really don't want any setup now," John let out a laugh, "Especially when I'm seeing someone."

Robert frowned in surprise, but smiled, "You work fast."

John rolled his eyes, "Don't I know it? It just… sort of happened. I'd have wanted to wait a little longer to go back on dating, but she's just… She's different."

"And I'll take that as a good sign, judging by your last wife," Robert commented, "How's she like?"

"She's Amelia's ballet teacher. Mary's friend, Anna," John told him, "Not really ethical, I know, but…"

"Anna?" Robert repeated and let out an incredulous laugh, "Well. Good for you. I've known her for a long time. She's a great girl."

He agreed, "And she's great with Amelia too. It's too soon and I can't know what's to follow, but I have a good feeling about this. There's just something about Anna. I don't know."

Robert smirked, "Will I attend one more of your weddings before I go to Edith's?"

John made a face, "No! Definitely not. This is a man who won't get married anytime soon, I assure you. No woman can change that."

"We'll see about that," Robert said, drinking the last of his scotch.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Thanks so much for all the kind reviews! I'll try to update more regularly now, but I can't make any promises. Anyway, I hope you'll like this chapter! Rating _might _change for the next one, so I hope that won't scare you away! :) Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

"Knock, knock," John said softly, stopping by the doorway of Anna's office and peering through the slightly open door. She looked up when she saw him, and she looked mighty adorable with her glasses on and that smile he loved on her lips. "Kylie said I could come in. I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Of course you're not interrupting. Come in," she said; John stepped fully into the office and closed the door behind him. She took a look at the clock and made a face, "I'm sorry, I didn't realise it was time already. I'm so sorry."

He smiled at her embarrassment, "It's fine, Anna. You can finish whatever you're doing, I don't mind."

But she was already standing up and shaking her head, "No, I'll just have to talk to Gwen for a minute and then I'll be back. You can sit down, get comfortable," she told him as she pointed to one of the chairs in front of his desk. "I'll be back in a minute."

And with that, she left the office. John took a seat, amused at what just happened. They had been going out for almost a month now, and she had been the one to suggest a movie for tonight, but he wasn't surprised at her being so caught up at work that she forgot about their date. He took a chance and looked around the office; it was the first time he had ever been here.

It was a beautifully decorated little room; everything about it reminded him of Anna. From the comfy red chairs in front of the desk to the ballet shoes hanging up in the wall. Her desk was a bit full of papers, whatever she had been working on; the computer was turned off, though. There were two large pictures on the other wall; one with two ballet dancers doing some kind of move he had no idea about, and the other one full of little girls in bright tutus. There was only one picture on the desk, and he had to lean over it to see what it was. He smiled. It was Anna, all adorned in fancy ballet clothes, looking positively angelic, holding a bouquet of pink roses and with a huge smile on her face. It must have been on one of her presentations. She was, he supposed, with her parents and her brother, judging by their looks.

He frowned a little; Anna didn't talk much about the old days. Maybe she missed them more than she wanted other people to know, but she seemed very happy teaching. He looked at the picture on the wall one more time. It looked like the ballerina there was wearing the same clothes Anna was in the other picture. He stood up to take a closer look. That was Anna, he knew it – her face couldn't be properly seen, as the picture was taken from some distance of the stage, but he knew it was her.

"So now you're a ballet admirer," he heard Anna's voice behind him, and turned around to see her with a grin on her face, "Fancy some classes?"

He had to smile at her teasing tone. He pointed at the picture. "That's you over here, isn't it?"

Anna nodded, walking over to stand beside him. "Yeah, that's actually my last performance. I broke my ankle while training five days after this picture was taken."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said quietly, but Anna's tone had been light.

"No, it's fine. There was this series of moves I was supposed to do, at the ending," she told him, "I had been practicing too much and I was already recovering from a past injury. I lost my balance, got the move in the wrong way, and it happened. One bad injury added to a nasty fracture had me in surgery and in physiotherapy for months."

"And you couldn't go back to dancing?"

She shook her head, her lips pursed, "The doctor told me it might not be possible. My injury was too severe and he said it'd return eventually, if I got back, so I'd never be properly healed if I didn't stop. I went back to training, but I could still feel the injury. I tried for a few months. When my doctor was proven right, I had to give up."

She didn't seem sad about it; resigned, yes, but not sad. He supposed she'd had a long time to deal with this. Still, how she looked in the pictures – so happy, so comfortable – made him wonder what it was like to see her performing.

"It's a shame," he commented, a little out of nowhere, "I wish I could have seen you dancing."

"Really?" Anna said, amused, "Well, I can dance. I still dance, occasionally. If anything my ankle feels stronger than before, but I can't train and I can't perform. Sorry."

He turned from the picture and looked at her. She was smiling sweetly at him. He smiled back. Anna was still as beautiful as ever, ballet clothes and hair or not.

"Don't worry," he said, enveloping his arms around her waist and bringing her closer to him, "Now, Miss Smith, I don't believe you've kissed me hello properly yet."

She bit her lip and pretended to think about it, her own hands encircling his neck, "Yes, I think you're right, Mr. Bates."

They might be going out for almost a month, but he still got giddy in anticipation just by thinking of kissing her again; her lips were soft, so soft beneath his, and he loved how sometimes she was still smiling broadly when they kissed. She turned her head ever so slightly,deepening the kiss, and for a moment he was lost. It was Anna who pulled away, making him return to reality.

"We need to leave, or we'll miss the movie," she said excitedly, wriggling from his arms and going over her desk to put her coat on. He was sure he looked like a fool, watching as she adjusted her hair and grabbed her bag, walking towards the door and taking his hand in hers in the meantime, "Come on, let's go."

She could have taken him to hell and back and he'd still have gone with her.

* * *

She was everywhere. Her mouth never left his, hot and soft against his own, her hands on her his shoulders, his hair, his back, his chest. It was way too hot here, he realised – despite the late hour, despite the night air. He was having trouble keeping his hands to himself too – her skin-tight jeans made it difficult for him as his hands cupped her bottom, stroked her thighs. She moaned against his lips. It was way too hot here, indeed.

He moved his hands to her waist, marvelling at how much he liked her body, even if he hadn't seen all of her yet; their time together, unfortunately, hadn't gone beyond a few make-out sessions in front of her apartment building or inside his car. Only once he had accepted her invitation to visit her flat, and even that one time he had to leave early before they made it any further. His obligation with Amelia rarely made it possible for him to stay long with Anna, as he always had to pick her up by a certain time. Tonight, unfortunately, was no different.

"Anna," he managed to say when she moved her lips to his neck, and her hands were dangerously close to the waistband of his trousers, "We need to stop."

But he wasn't willing to stop either, as his hands were still running over her body.

"I know," she half-moaned, as she finally pulled away from him, settling her hands around his middle, "But I don't want to. Can't you come up this once?"

He kissed her lips softly one more time. She asked this so sweetly, so quietly, and he desperately wanted to say yes, but he couldn't. He was already past his time to pick up Amelia at her grandfather's. He couldn't spend the night with Anna – not tonight.

"I'm sorry," he said hopelessly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. He had to smile at her flushed appearance. She looked gorgeous. "I can't. It's a week day; I need to pick Amelia up early. I'm sorry."

She leaned into him, resting her head on his chest and hugging him tightly. "I know, I understand. But I just… Perhaps we should plan in advance."

He nodded, kissing her hair, "Perhaps we should. I'll see what I can do."

"No," she said defiantly, turning to look at him with a smile, "You'll manage and you'll do it. I don't care how. I think we both agree that we need… some further alone time."

He chuckled and she joined him. She moved her hands to his face, caressing his cheeks and kissing him on the lips.

"You're right," he said at last, "Think you can wait until the weekend?"

She sighed dramatically, "Guess I'll have to."

She smiled at the end of the sentence, and he laughed at her tone. She was right, of course; they really needed some further alone time. He kissed her lips tenderly one more time and she pulled away from him, rummaging through her bag to find her keys.

"I'll call you, or stop by the studio this week," he said quietly, "I really am sorry."

"Nonsense. I understand," she told him rather hastily, "You're a good father, and I love that about you. Even if it infuriates me sometimes, I love that quality of yours." At that, he smiled. "Good night."

She approached him for one more kiss, and he made it last two seconds longer than necessary, never wanting to let go of her.

"Good night, Anna."

* * *

John opened the door to the studio and found Kylie getting ready to leave for her lunch break. His heart sank; he had been hoping he'd find Anna here. Having just returned from a meeting with his lawyer, whose office was in that same street, he thought he'd stop by and see if Anna wanted to have lunch with him. If Kylie was leaving, however, chances were slim to none that Anna was still there.

"Oh, hey, John. What's up?" the girl greeted him unenthusiastically.

"Hi, Kylie. I don't suppose Anna is still around," he tried, convinced she was gone; he was already taking his phone off of his pocket to call her.

"She's still here," Kylie told him, "I was just gonna tell her I was leaving. Can you do that for me? She's in room 4."

"Um, sure," he agreed as the young woman passed by him, her fingers eagerly typing on her phone, "Thanks, Kylie."

He shook his head at Kylie's nonchalant response as she left the studio; no wonder Anna often complained about her. He left the entrance and walked down the familiar hall – Amelia's classroom was the second one so he never had to go much further. He could hear music, but he knew Anna wasn't teaching, so he frowned. The door to room 4 was opened, and he immediately saw Anna, but she didn't see him – she was dancing.

The song was a slow one, that he knew Anna liked to listen to, but he didn't really register it. The classroom was bigger than the one Amelia used, and Anna was far too focused on her moves to notice him. He had seen her doing a move or two for the girls, but never this – never dancing so freely, so comfortably before. He leaned against the doorway to watch the scene. From his position at the door, at the side end of the classroom, he doubted Anna would see him unless she looked right in his direction, and she was far too focused for that.

He didn't know anything about ballet, but he was mesmerized by the way she moved – how she twirled around, how her legs moved, how her arms were positioned. It was all so certain, and she did everything in such a relaxed way, with such grace. Her movements were slow and enfolding, and she still managed to get in sync with the song that was playing. She used a good portion of the free space in the room – small, quick jumps, two or three pirouettes. He shouldn't be watching, he knew it – but he couldn't help it, and he didn't have the heart to interrupt. He could see why Anna had been considered such a good dancer – he could feel her passion.

All too soon, the song was ending, he watched as she twirled around slowly, soon standing on only one foot, with the other leg bended behind her body. The song had ended. He saw Anna's smile and realised he was smiling as well. Another song began playing, but Anna was already back on her feet, walking towards the stereo. She had yet to see him. So, he decided to make himself known and left his position by the doorway to walk slowly into the room. He didn't try to quiet his steps. She turned her head around, her ponytail bouncing ever so slightly. She was shocked to see him.

"That was quite a show," he commented, putting his hands on his pockets, a little unsure of what to do. "Kylie said I could come in, and I didn't want to interrupt you. You are… incredible, Anna."

She let out an embarrassed laugh, and now that he was closer he could see she was flushed – from dancing or being caught, he couldn't say.

"John, what a nice surprise," she said once she recovered, and walked towards him too, meeting him halfway, "Oh, well, thank you. You did say you wanted to see me dancing," she said softly, giving him a kiss, "Hope I haven't disappointed you."

"You haven't. You are amazing."

She snickered, "Those weren't really difficult steps. Anyone can do that, I assure you."

"Well, I don't need to be an expert to know that you're a great dancer," he said softly, "You had me speechless for a moment there."

"John Bates, where do you want to get with all this flattery?" Anna asked him with a smile.

He took her hand as they walked slowly towards the door. "I was around and decided to come and see if you wanted to have lunch with me. What do you say?"

"I say yes," she told him excitedly when they reached the door, "Let me just change into some clothes and we can go. Will you wait for me up front?"

"Sure," he agreed as she started to walk to the opposite direction.

She had a sweet smile on her face and John watched as she walked away, admiring her. Only when she entered another room and looked knowingly at him, as if she knew he had been staring, he turned around. Running his fingers through his hair, he smiled inwardly, reminiscing about what he had just seen. God help him, Anna would be the death of him – but he would die a happy man if that was the case.

* * *

He heard the front door opening and the quick small footsteps hurrying down the hall made him smile inwardly. A few seconds later, Amelia, adorned in her pink tutu and wearing her pink sunglasses – even though it was already dark outside –, was smiling broadly at him and holding candy floss in one hand and some books in the other.

"Daddy, look what Granny got me!" she said excitedly, handing him the books.

He bent down to properly look at them; three colouring books, and not small ones at that. Someone would be busy today, he thought.

"These are great, princess. Did you thank Granny?" he asked her and Amelia nodded while eating the candy floss.

"I went to the Ferris wheel and I wasn't scared! It's so high up there, Daddy," she told him, "I wish the fair was here all year long!"

He chuckled and kissed her hairline as she took the books from him and put them on the floor, sitting beside them. His mother was by the doorway, her arms crossed in front of her as she took in his appearance. John knew she was opposed to the idea of him dating again, especially after Vera, and he couldn't blame her. He didn't elaborate when he told her to go ahead and take Amelia to the fair, as he would be going out later. He was sure she was dying to know about his plans, and smiled to himself, standing up.

"Hello, Mum," he said softly, "Had fun?"

"Oh, yes. It was getting a little crowded so we decided to come home, but it was very enjoyable, yes," she told him, still eyeing him as she sat down on the couch. "You're looking pretty dapper. Going somewhere fancy?"

John shrugged, "Not really. Just having dinner in a friend's place."

He had to keep himself from grinning; Anna had invited him to dinner earlier that day and he had been glad to say he'd be able to go. With his mother around, Amelia would be more than taken care of and he'd be able to stay at Anna's for some time. His mother arched her eyebrows at this, but didn't ask any more questions. She was obviously having a hard time keeping her thoughts to herself.

Amelia, however, looked up interestedly.

"Are you seeing Anna tonight, Daddy?" she asked him, "Can you take The Swan Lake for her? I told her it was my favourite and she wanted to watch it."

John smiled, "I have a feeling she'd prefer to watch it with you one of these days."

Amelia's face lit up, "Really? Then don't take it. I'll invite her to come here and we can watch it together."

He chuckled, grabbing his jacket and putting it on.

"Who's Anna?" his mother finally asked, looking at Amelia.

"She's my best friend!" the little girl told her grandmother excitedly, and John had to grin at Anna's new status as Amelia's best friend, finally taking over Alex's post, "She's a ballerina and she's so much fun and Daddy loves her."

John shook his head at his daughter's excitement; his mother looked intrigued.

"Oh. Her ballet teacher?" she looked at John for confirmation.

He nodded, "Yeah, that's Anna," he looked at the clock and walked towards his mother, "I best get going. I'll probably get home late, so don't wait up for me. Are you sure it's no problem to stay with Amelia?"

His mother shook her head, "Don't be silly. Just… have fun. I'll want to know more about this Anna tomorrow."

He smiled and kissed her cheek, "Thanks for doing this, Mum," he turned around and picked Amelia up, making her giggle. He kissed her forehead. "Be good to Granny."

The little girl nodded as he put her down, and he bid them goodbye before leaving his house.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Anna felt uncharacteristically nervous as she took one more look at the pie in the oven and looked around to make sure everything was ready. She pondered opening the wine bottle now so she could try to calm down before John arrived. Just as she thought this, however, the bell rang. She smiled; John was here. She let him in and walked towards the door to her flat, checking her appearance briefly in the mirror. She had opted to wear a nice dress and simple, nice, flat shoes – she was in her home, after all.

Before she could think any further, a soft knock on the door told her John was there. She took a deep breath and turned to open it.

She was rewarded with John, holding a bouquet of orange lilies and a bottle of wine. He was grinning, that mischievous grin that always made her heart skip a beat, and he looked downright handsome. She smiled brightly, pulling him into a kiss almost immediately.

"I gather you are happy to see me, then," he said cheekily, offering her the flowers.

She accepted them, the smile never leaving her face; of course he remembered lilies were her favourites. She stepped aside to let him properly in.

"Of course I'm happy," she said, running her hand along his arm affectionately, "I love the flowers, thank you. You didn't have to."

"Only for special occasions," he winked at her as he handed her the wine and took off his jacket.

Anna arched her eyebrows suggestively, "What makes today special?"

He sighed dramatically, "Of course you didn't remember. We've been going out for kind of a month today."

"Kind of?" Anna frowned, doing the math in her head.

"Give or take a few days," he offered with a smile, "Come on, I just wanted to give you flowers," he kissed her lips softly, "I don't know what you're making, but that's a pretty good wine. Or so my former father-in-law says."

Anna laughed as he looked around the place, "Then we should try it and see if he's right. I'm making Shepherd's pie, as promised."

"Ah," he said, "so this is the day I'm waiting for ever since I met you. I'll see if your pie is indeed better than mine."

"Speaking of which, I'll go take a look at that," she told him brightly, "Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back."

* * *

As Anna disappeared through a nearby door, John looked around interestedly, walking down the small hall and further into the flat. The first he had been there had been fast and he hadn't had much time to really notice anything; now, he could see it was all very neatly arranged. The stereo was on, but its volume wasn't too high. Two comfy looking sofas adorned the living room, and he was standing next to a six-chair dining table, already set for them. There was a large bay window overlooking the city's downtown; he walked around, hands in his pockets, observing the little details. On the coffee table, there were two pictures: one of Anna by herself, obviously very recent, taken at the studio, from what he could see. The other one was Anna with Mary, and they were obviously younger – much younger. He smiled.

"It'll be ready in a minute," Anna's voice startled him, as she walked back into the room balancing two glasses in one hand and the wine on the other. She placed the glasses on the dining table and poured some wine into them. He walked towards her, accepting the glass she offered. She smiled invitingly at him. "So, _kind of_ a month, you say? Let's hope this is just the first one, then."

He nodded appreciatively, "The first of many more."

They raised their glasses together with happy smiles on their faces, sweet nervous anticipation in their minds. They went over to talk about their days and trivial matters. Dinner ran smoothly; John teased her endlessly about the pie, finally admitting, by the end of the meal, that it was, indeed, better than his. Anna made him promise he'd cook to her someday soon, since he had been bragging so much about his own cooking; he happily agreed he'd be the designated cook next time. Afterwards, Anna offered him ice cream – and apologised for not having had time to prepare a suitable dessert. He laughed it off, saying it wouldn't matter so long as he liked the flavour of it. Anna, of course, had bought chocolate – his favourite.

He couldn't quite believe on how well they got on with each other. As they talked, he went back to thinking of their first meeting, at Robert's party, and how much she had impressed him then. In the end, however, he should thank Amelia for wanting to go into ballet.

They had a good-natured argument on who would do the dishes, and in the end John won; she had cooked, so it was only natural for him to do the clean-up business. She insisted on helping, as he wouldn't know where everything was in her home, and he decided he had never had more fun doing the dishes as he had then.

Now, as he sat on Anna's couch by himself, that nervous anticipation had begun building up again. He smiled when she came back into the room and sat beside him, pouring more wine into her glass; he politely declined.

"You're letting me drink on my own," she shook her head in mock disappointment, "Please tell me you're not driving home anytime soon."

He put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned closer into him, "No, I'm not."

She frowned, a shy smile creeping into her features. "Really? That's nice to hear."

She put her glass back down on the coffee table, turning her body ever so slightly to face him, her fingers intertwining with his own on his lap. John looked at her questioningly. Anna giggled.

"Have I told you how good it is to be here with you?" he asked her, his hand leaving her shoulder to stroke her cheek.

"Not yet," she answered, her eyes twinkling.

"Well, it is," he assured her with a cheeky smile, slowly bringing his face closer to hers. "Very good."

He could feel her breath flutter a little, and he realised he was a bit nervous himself. One look in her eyes, however, made him forget about it all. He tilted his head as he leaned in, and Anna mirrored his actions. Their lips met in a slow, gentle kiss that after a few seconds grew firmer as they seemed a bit more confident than before. His hands moved to her waist almost instinctively, and he shifted a little as she opened her mouth to him, and he tasted her, slowly, almost carefully. He didn't want to push her.

* * *

Thankfully, as it was, it looked like Anna was the one who wanted to push him. She shifted, moving her legs to the sofa so that she was resting on her heels, her hands squeezing his shoulder and stroking his chest. Encouraged by her, John shifted even closer, teasing her as he ran his tongue along her lower lip and made her smile. His hands grew confident too, now stroking up and down her back, wanting to feel her body, moving from her shoulders to her bottom.

He was glad he wouldn't have to return home anytime soon.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **This chapter is a little bit shorter, but don't worry - the next will make it up for it. Thanks so much for everyone who's been reading and everyone who's reviewed so far, it means a lot! Hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Have a great Downton Day tomorrow! :D

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

Anna frowned in her sleep, hearing some movement beside her; it couldn't be morning already. She absolutely refused to open her eyes. Shifting a little on the bed, she snuggled closer to her pillow. This was good. This was very good, indeed. She felt a soft breath against her neck and smiled, feeling the warmth of John's body against her back. She felt a kiss behind her ear and a squeeze on her waist. She sighed happily.

"Anna," his voice was hoarse against her ear, and Anna leaned into his body, thinking she might have just been imagining things.

She remembered the night before with a lingering smile. Things had been much, much better than she had initially hoped for. She had been nervous at first; their relationship needed to go to a new level, they both knew that, but they had both been a little hesitant when it came to it. This morning, however, she had no regrets at all. It had all been so utterly perfect that she was even afraid to admit so to herself. Of course things were a little awkward afterwards, but John was just such a charming man, and he made her feel so at ease with everything – he had been such a great lover, much better than she had even expected him to be. He was just so attentive, so caring – and of course they had a lot to learn about each other, but he just made her feel so good – so alive. She wasn't one to make comparisons, but _really _– she had never felt like this with David.

After the initial post-sex awkwardness, they had talked and caressed and laughed a little; Anna truly couldn't remember having a better night. Tiredness soon overcame them, and she fell asleep in his arms.

"Anna," the whisper was there again, a little more insistent this time, and very real. She felt one of John's hands moving to her hip, and squeezing it ever so softly. This was very real. Could it be morning already?

"Hmm?" she groaned, unable to properly open her eyes. John shifted beside her, and she felt his lips again, near her temple, and he inhaled deeply the scent of her hair.

"I'm sorry, but I need to go," he told her quietly.

Anna frowned again, slowly becoming more alert. She turned to face him, still not quite opening her eyes. She moved her arms to embrace him and instinctively snuggled into his neck, breathing in his scent. God, he smelled good.

"What time is it?" she asked him sleepily.

"Half past six," he answered and Anna groaned in response. He chuckled, "I'm sorry, Anna. I wish I could stay."

She nodded quietly, half-expecting this to happen, but feeling a little bit disappointed. She opened her eyes then and looked up at him. His eyes were kind, sleepy and she desperately wanted to kiss him again. To hell with her appearance, to hell with sleep, and to hell with morning breath. She slowly lifted her head and he immediately understood what she wanted, meeting her lips halfway in a soft, lingering kiss.

She smiled when they parted, her hands reaching for his soft hair, and snuggled into his neck again, kissing his skin there, then slowly moving to kiss the hollow of his throat. She had intended for it to be innocent, really – even when her thoughts weren't innocent at all – but when she felt John's strong hands on her hips she knew she had the opposite effect on him. Anna let out a giggle, but it was quickly muffled by his lips hard upon hers, making her forget reality for a moment. Instead, she just savoured his kiss, his tongue against hers, the feel of his hands on her skin.

He rested his forehead on hers when he pulled away. "I _really_ need to go."

"Alright," she agreed, sighing happily as he shifted away from her.

Anna watched him interestedly from the bed as he sat up, his nude back to her, and started gatheringhis clothes from the floor. She stretched languidly on the bed whilst he got dressed, admiring his long legs and the rest of his body. When he was almost finished, she reluctantly pulled away from the sheets, letting it expose her body, and she sat up on the edge of the bed, reaching for her robe, that was resting on a nearby chair. She put it on, tying it rather loosely, but she was too sleepy to care. She yawned lazily, stretching her limbs one more time, and heard another chuckle. Her gaze was met by a grinning John, almost dressed.

"What?" she asked him.

"Not a morning person, are you?" he asked, his voice stronger than before. He sat on the bed to put his shoes on.

Anna shrugged, taking slow steps over to him. "I'm usually worse. You're lucky I had a very good night, you know."

She said it with a smile, and he responded with one of his own; finishing tying his shoes, he stopped her right in front of him, holding her hips in place. She put her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm very lucky indeed," he murmured, and she leaned down to kiss him once more.

"At least let me make you some breakfast," she said softly when they pulled away.

He shook his head and stood up, now lacing his fingers with hers and taking slow steps towards the door. "No, I told my mother I would return late, not that I'd be spending the night away. If she wakes up and I'm not there, she'll just get worried. And maybe get weird ideas."

Anna giggled as she followed him out of the bedroom. "Weird ideas? Alright, then."

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "You know what I mean."

They soon reached the hall, and Anna picked his jacket up, handing it to him. He smiled in thanks and brought her closer to him, and they shared a slow, passionate kiss. He was smiling when they parted, and Anna kissed his chin softly before letting go of him.

"I don't think I need to tell you I had a great time," he said, "I don't know how I'll be able to watch your classes after tonight."

Anna let out a laugh, "And there's a class tomorrow. Don't you forget."

He shook his head and turned to the door, "I won't," as Anna opened the door for him, she gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"I had a great time too," she said, "I hope you'll still watch my classes, though."

"Wouldn't miss them for the world," he grinned, "I'll call you later. Go back to sleep now."

Anna closed the door behind her, a sweet smile still playing on her lips. She let out a laugh when she checked her appearance in the mirror; how John could still call her beautiful with a hair so messed up was beyond her. She shook her head, fighting a yawn and planning on going to bed. She stopped when she crossed the living room and saw her barely drank glass of wine from last night. Shaking her head, she went over to put it on the sink, in the kitchen; she did so, and took a moment to admire the lilies John had brought her. She smelled them and smiled. She couldn't remember waking up so early and in such a good mood before.

Her bedroom was a mess of clothes and underwear on the floor, and she hastily moved past them. It was almost seven when she finally went back to bed, not bothering to take offthe robe; there was no point when John wasn't there. She reached over for her cell phone, and smiled at seeing a text from John.

"_Missing you already. X"_

She quickly composed a reply, resting her head comfortably on the pillow, still smelling his scent, and went back to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

John peeked into Amelia's room, smiling when he saw her still fast asleep. Everything had been silent when he got home, and he had quickly decided to take a shower before going downstairs to make some breakfast. He didn't worry about his mother; he was sure she wouldn't like the thought of him spending the night away, and it really hadn't been his intention to stay at Anna's for such long time, but it had happened. He smiled at the memory as he descended the stairs. He'd have to be more careful next time.

Next time. His smile grew brighter. God, he had left Anna's half an hour ago and he already wanted to see her again.

Walking down the hall to the stairs, he heard a noise; so his mother was now awake.

He went downstairs and opened the kitchen door. His mother briefly turned around from the sink to acknowledge him. He noticed he was still smiling.

"Good morning, Mum," he said brightly, placing a chaste kiss on her cheek and moving about the kitchen. "How did it go without me last night?"

She smiled, "It went fine. How was your… dinner with your friend?"

"Very nice, thank you for asking," he said, pouring himself some coffee. He felt slightly weird in addressing his night with Anna as nice, but he doubted his mother would like it if he elaborated. He let out a chuckle at this thought.

He sat at the breakfast bar, feeling his mother's suspicious eyes on him all the while as he prepared himself a toast. Finally, he looked up and met her eyes. He never knew Margaret Bates to not speak her mind, so he might as well be prepared for it.

"Go on," he said, taking a bite of his toast, "Ask away."

"So who is this Anna?" she asked, as if the question had been on her lips since the day before, "Besides her being Amelia's teacher. Really, John, do you think it's wise for you to be in a relationship already? You aren't even properly divorced!"

"But I will be, soon," John told her, "And Anna isn't like Vera. She's different."

"You told me Vera wasn't like Kate, and look how well that turned out. Two divorces," she shook her head and sat beside him, "Though I must say I'm glad that nasty woman is gone. She was no good influence for Amelia."

He arched his eyebrows and nodded silently; there was nothing he could say to that.

"You haven't met Anna," he told her after a moment, "You should see her with Amelia. They adore each other."

"Which is another thing I meant to talk to you about," his mother chimed in, "I don't think you should expose Amelia to her too much. It's not just you who'll suffer if things don't work out. You shouldn't bring Anna over…"

"And I haven't," he interrupted her, "She hasn't been here. Not yet, anyway. I know what I'm doing, Mum. And Anna understands it. You'd know what I'm talking about if you knew her. She's just… a beautiful person. Inside and out," he smiled and shook his head, "If you don't believe me, just ask Amelia."

"Oh, but I have," she said with a smile, "She's told me all about her. She said she wants to be just like her when she grows up. Don't ever let Kate hear that," she warned him.

He cringed, "I'll do my best."

"So, when do I meet her?"

Before John could answer her, the kitchen door swung open and they were greeted by Amelia, all clad in her pink jammies, rubbing one of her eyes lazily. John smiled at her.

"Hey, little one," he greeted her, and she smiled sleepily at them, walking towards the breakfast bar.

"Good morning, dear," his mother said with a smile.

"Good morning," Amelia half-groaned, yawning. "Can I have my cereal on the couch, Daddy? I want to watch TV."

"Of course, mademoiselle, but only because it's a Sunday," he winked at her, and the little girl giggled.

As he stood up to get her breakfast, Amelia turned to her grandmother. "Who do you want to meet, Granny?"

"I want to meet Anna," his mother said simply, "The two of you speak so highly of her, I'm curious."

"Really, Granny?" Amelia said excitedly, her eyes darting from her grandmother to her father as he walked back to her with a bowl of cereal. "You could come and watch my ballet class tomorrow!"

"No, darling, I must get back to London tomorrow morning," his mother told her with a sad smile, "But perhaps next time?"

At this, she looked at John with hope in her eyes; Amelia was nodding seriously at her granny, taking the bowl from John's hands. "Yes, next time! It'll be so cool! I'll even ask Anna to do a really difficult move, like a pirouette or something!"

John was still chuckling when Amelia left the room, easily distracted by her chocolate cereal and upcoming TV hours. Margaret was still watching him intently, and he rolled his eyes.

"You just told me you want me to take it easy. And now you want to meet her," he said incredulously with a smile, "You'll meet her when we decide it's the ideal time."

His mother sighed exasperatedly and stood up. Just as she reached the kitchen door, however, she winked at him.

"Or I might just want to take my granddaughter to her dancing lessons next time I'm over."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **A little later than usual, but here's the chapter. Really hope you'll like it. A huge thanks to my wonderful editor and my self-proclaimed agent, Terrie. :) Thanks so much for reading!

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

John felt surprisingly good – relieved, even – as he waited by the front desk of Anna's studio. He didn't normally show up without her knowing, but he knew she was in class – and therefore wouldn't answer the phone – and he was much too eager to share his news with her to wait until a proper time. Kylie had told him she'd be there soon, so he waited. When he saw a bunch of little girls leaving, all younger than Amelia, and accompanied by their mothers, he was sure Anna would be there soon. As he predicted, not five minutes later she appeared.

He felt himself smiling almost instantly. Anna always had that sort of reaction on him; they were only two weeks after the night in her flat, but he felt happier than ever with her. The more he knew of Anna, the more he fell for her. He could only hope she was feeling the same way; from the huge smile on her face now, however, he was pretty certain she was happy to see him.

"Hello, stranger," she said with a huge smile on her face when she saw him. He stood up and met her with a kiss. "What are you doing here?"

"I've got some news," he told her excitedly as she clasped his hand on hers.

"Let's go to my office," Anna said with a wink, and he followed her out of the room. She looked at him with a hopeful smile, "Good news, I hope?"

"The best," he replied as they finally entered her office. "I really don't mean to be long. I know you have lunch with your brother today, and I don't want to bother, but I was around and thought I'd stop for a visit."

"You're never a bother," she interrupted him, kissing him fully on the lips and clasping her hands together at the back of his neck. "Now tell me about this news of yours. I'm curious."

"Alright then," he said, and took a deep breath before smiling again, "I am now legally divorced from Vera."

"What? So soon?" Anna asked in disbelief, "Oh, I'm so happy for you! You must be relieved! When did this happen?"

"I just left the lawyer's office. We just signed the papers," he told her with a grin, "Seems like I'm a free man now."

She caressed his cheek with a loving smile on her face. "Not quite free, no."

He pulled her into a kiss and she happily obliged, grinning when they pulled away. He squeezed her waist softly. "We need to celebrate. Do you want to go out tonight? I can see if Larry can stay with Amelia for a couple of hours."

Anna pretended to think about it, causing him to chuckle, and she let out a laugh. "Alright. Though I'd prefer it if we stayed in tonight, instead of going out…"

He shook his head, "You naughty girl."

He silenced her giggle with a deeper, passionate kiss that made his intentions quite clear. Anna sighed contentedly against his lips as she reached for his hair – he had noticed she appeared to have a thing for it – and he savoured the taste of her against his mouth. He was brought backto reality when he heard someone clearing their throat in the doorway, mere feet from them, but Anna didn't seem to hear it and he was the first one to pull away. Feeling the heat rise up his neck, he was sure he looked embarrassed; when he looked at the doorway, however, he was positively mortified. The person who was looking at them was, unmistakably, Anna's brother.

He knew him from pictures, and he could see the similarities between him and Anna even more now that he properly saw him. They had the same eyes, the same hair. He knew Chris was about six or five years older than Anna, and that they were very close. He was staring amusedly, curiously at them, and Anna quickly pulled away from John's arms when she saw her brother.

"Chris! I wasn't expecting you here so soon," she looked mildly embarrassed, which helped nothing in John's embarrassment. "Um, well, this is John Bates. John, this is my brother, Christopher."

John risked a smile at his direction and offered his hand. Christopher smiled politely in return.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Christopher," he said as he shook his hand.

"Call me Chris," he said, then looked at Anna, "And it's great to meet you. Anna's been talking a lot about you."

"Has she?" John looked at Anna, surprise written inhis eyes.

Anna smiled and leaned into him, her arm around his back, apparently feeling more comfortable now. She narrowed her eyes at her brother. "Nice of you to give me away!"

"It's true and you know it," Chris grinned, "I'm sorry for interrupting, really. Kylie said you were here so I just came in."

"It's alright. I just came here to have a quick word with Anna," John said with a smile, "I'm on my way, anyway."

"Why don't you come with us?" Chris said, looking between John and Anna. "I don't mind."

John looked at Anna for confirmation, and she smiled at him. "Yeah, come with us. Please?"

He let out a laugh, "Alright, alright. I can't very well say no when you ask so nicely."

* * *

The lunch had gone incredibly well; Chris seemed interested and asked John questions about the store and how they met. They had even bonded over divorce problems, and Anna was positively amused at that. They seemed to have fun talking about football – and Anna was completely oblivious at this sort of topic – but all in all they seemed to get on well.

Before long, they were leaving the restaurant; Anna pulled John into a chaste kiss as he bid them goodbye, getting into his car as Chris and Anna walked towards Chris's. Anna rolled her eyes as she met Chris's gaze and smiled.

"Alright, bring it on," she told him as she got into the car, "What's the verdict?"

Chris shrugged, "He's nice. I like him."

"Why do I sense a 'but' coming?" Anna asked, and her brother laughed. "You're not bothered about his age, are you?"

"Not really. He's very different from David, that's for sure," he said, "But he seems attentive, something David wasn't, so I'm happy for you. I'm guessing you're pretty serious."

"We're going slowly, if that's what you're asking," she told him, "Not long ago we were both in relationships with other people. We don't want to rush things."

"So it'll be a while before you introduce him to Mum and Dad?"

"I don't know. We haven't really talked about this, but I suppose so. We haven't told his daughter yet, and we'd tell her first. I'm not even sure how that will go," Anna said, "Why do you ask?"

"I might have told Mum about it," Chris said; at that, Anna cringed. "But she promised me she wouldn't ask you about it. I think she won't.

"God, I hope so," she murmured, "Mum is uncontrollable sometimes."

Chris smiled sympathetically at her. "You worried about meeting the kid as his girlfriend?"

Anna nodded, "A little bit. Amelia is such a darling, but from what John says, her experience with his second wife wasn't very nice. I just hope she won't change, that's all. She's such a sweet child."

They drove in silence for some moments, until Chris chuckled. Anna looked at him annoyingly.

"What's so funny?"

"Look at you, all grown-up. Worrying about your boyfriend's kid not liking you," he shook his head, "It'll be fine. You'll see."

* * *

John stretched lazily on Anna's bed and looked at the clock on the bedside table and rested his arms beneath his head; he needed to go soon, unfortunately. He heard Anna's soft voice from the living room and smiled. She had been outwardly annoyed by the phone ringing, but he had to admit he was glad it didn't ring sooner. Now, lying on her bed naked and very content with everything, he really couldn't complain.

He had taken her to a nice restaurant, despite her earlier remark of staying in for the evening; as it was, however, dinner was surprisingly fast, and he hadn't needed much insistence on her part to come up with her. Anna could be incredibly persuasive when she wanted to, he decided. It also helped that he couldn't very well resist her – he just couldn't get enough of her, of her body, of her voice – everything about her simply mesmerised him. He really was in a lot of trouble.

A minute later, Anna entered the bedroom and he sucked in a breath upon seeing her wearing his shirt – it looked incredibly well on her, but then he supposed she'd look nice in anything, really – and nothing underneath it. She smiled apologetically at him.

"I'm sorry," she said, "Gwen called to let me know she's sick and can't work tomorrow."

"Is she alright?" he asked as she walked around the room to put the phone on her nightstand.

"She'll be fine. Just the flu," she answered, then let out a laugh, "You look pretty happy there."

"That's because I'm happy," he told her with a smile, "Come here."

She walked over to his side of the bed and slowly crawled over him, running her hands through the hair on his chest with a grin, before resting her chin there and looking up at him. John groaned; Anna giggled and leaned in for a kiss.

"You can't stay tonight, can you?" she asked him softly.

He shook his head with a sad smile, "I can't. Amelia is at Larry's. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she told him quietly as he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"There's actually something I've been meaning to talk to you about," he said, "I'll understand if you disagree, but I feel like now that I'm properly divorced I can do it."

She frowned ever so slightly and urged him to continue.

"I want Amelia to know about the two of us," he explained, "She probably already does, she's a clever kid. But I feel like I need to talk to her about it and, well, you too. What do you think?"

"I think it's a good time now. You once told me you two were a package deal and I think it's time I met this package deal properly," Anna smiled weakly, "Do you think she'll… be okay with it? I mean, I really want her to like me."

John chuckled; the thought of Amelia not liking Anna seemed like a very unlikely possibility. He was sure his little girl understood things, and she had been making certain observations regarding how she had been spending more time at Grandpa's and asking him about Anna constantly. It didn't seem to diminish her love for ballet class or her excitement for seeing Anna. In fact, just before he left her today at Larry's, she complained that he saw Anna all the time and she didn't. That had been, for the most part, what made him want to talk things through with Anna. He had been meaning to do that for a couple of days now, but that last casual remark of Amelia talking about Anna that way made him very aware that he was in a relationship and he wanted it to move forward. As it was, it appeared that he and Anna were on the same page.

"She already likes you. I'm sure she'll love you if you spent more time together," John said, kissing Anna's hairline. "I have no doubts about it."

Anna nodded, but he could tell she was a little bit worried; he couldn't help but find it endearing. He had been absolutely sincere in his words, but it was only natural for her to feel like Amelia might change her opinion about her.

"Stop thinking about this, Anna," he said gently.

She chuckled, "It's easy for you to say."

He captured her lips in a soft kiss, his hands running from her hips to her waist and squeezing her softly. Tilting his head ever so slightly, he deepened the kiss and felt a weak moan coming from Anna's throat. They slowly pulled away, and he moved to pepper her jaw with soft kisses. He felt her hands on his shoulders.

"Didn't you say you needed to leave?" she asked him softly.

He grinned, "I can spare a few minutes."

* * *

As he watched the pink credits appear on the screen, John wasn't completely sure he was ready to watch yet another episode of Angelina Ballerina. On his side, Amelia took her time to say anything; he knew she was sleepy already, but of course she'd insist on watching another movie. She moved her legs from his lap and sat up beside him, a hopeful glint in her eyes.

"Another?"

John glanced at the clock. "It's almost your bedtime."

Amelia's shoulders sunk in disappointment. "But just one more! That's only ten minutes, Daddy!"

"You know very well it's more than ten minutes," he told her, pinching her nose, but she remained quiet. "Actually, Daddy wanted to talk to you about something."

The little girl turned to look at him with wide eyes, curiosity all over her face.

"What?" she asked him eagerly.

He took a deep breath before speaking; it wasn't the first time he'd have this conversation with his daughter. The first time, however, had been fairly simple. He smiled at the memory of Amelia, barely three years old, listening to him as he told her about Vera. At the same, as such a young child, she had asked few questions, and he hadn't elaborated much as he knew she wouldn't understand. Now, however, things were different.

"You know that Anna is a very good friend," he started, a bit uncertain, "and I'd like…"

"She's your girlfriend," Amelia stated simply, obviously proud of her interruption, "I heard Grandpa telling Aunt Pam about her. Are you gonna marry Anna, Daddy?"

John took a brief moment to gather his thoughts together; he'd need to have a talk with Larry later. He had underestimated his daughter, apparently; he did that a lot with the women in his life.

"What? No, I'm not going to marry Anna. At least, not yet," he said quietly, "You see, I like Anna very much. And you do too, right?" At this, Amelia nodded. "I like to hang out with her and to talk to her. And I think you should be a part of it, too. What do you think?"

He watched as his daughter pursed her lips, deep in thought. "But won't she leave?"

John smiled, "No, I don't think so."

"Vera left," she quickly said, then frowned, "I didn't like her. I really like Anna."

"Well, maybe Anna won't leave. We have a lot of fun together, and she likes you a lot," he told her slowly, feeling a bit helpless in his explanation, "Not everyone leaves. Your mummy has Nico, doesn't she? And he never left."

This appeared to make Amelia understand. "But Anna lives here, so I'll see her a lot more than Mummy and Nico."

"I'm sure you and Anna will have lots of fun," John told her softly, tucking a strand of hair behind Amelia's ear. The little girl nodded.

"Then we can watch Barbie together!" she said excitedly, "And I can show her my dolls, and my bike, and we can go shopping and do things girls do!"

"So I'm not good enough for your dolls, then?" John asked in fake disappointed. Amelia laughed happily.

"No, Daddy! You're not a girl!"

"Well, then I'll tell you a little secret Anna told me," he said, quickly getting Amelia's full attention. "She wants us to have a full day in Leeds. To go to Tropical World."

"Tropical World?" Amelia repeated, balancing her little legs against the couch in excitement, "And I'll go too?"

"Of course! We'll all go and see the meerkats," he said and Amelia stood up, jumping up and down.

"When will we go? Can we go tomorrow?" she asked him after a squeal.

"No, you have class tomorrow. We'll go on Saturday," he said, standing up too and picking her up as she jumped, making her squeal in delight. "Now let's brush these teeth and go to sleep."

Amelia complained and began babbling about everything her friends told her about Tropical World – she seemed far too excited for someone who'd have to sleep in half an hour. He doubted he'd get her to sleep anytime soon, but for once, he didn't mind.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **So my plan to update more regularly isn't going very well - sorry about that. I've had this chapter ready for quite sometime, because I like to be a little bit ahead on my stories, but it's been almost two weeks and I'm sorry to say the next chapter will take another two - maybe more, most likely more - weeks to get ready. So here's a longer chapter. Really hope you'll like it. We'll have a little bit of trouble ahead of us soon, I'm afraid to say! Thanks so much for reading and for everyone who has reviewed - I'll reply to everyone as soon as possible!

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

Anna had been nervous in anticipation at the prospect of spending the day with John and Amelia; she knew it was silly, really, but that did not diminish her worries. When John called to tell her they were there, she felt her stomach flutter. When she spotted John's car from the sidewalk, however, her worries almost vanished. Amelia was talking animatedly inside the car, and she waved at Anna when she saw her. Anna immediately smiled at the little girl and waved back before entering the car, being greeted by John's smile and Amelia's excited voice.

"Hi, Anna!" she said rather loudly.

"Amelia, inside voice," John warned her.

Anna grinned, "Hi, Amelia. Are you excited to go to Leeds today?"

"Yes! I love Leeds," the little girl stated, but then frowned, "What else is in Leeds, Daddy?"

Anna chuckled at her words, and John shook his head with a smile.

"That shopping mall you love," he told her, then took Anna's hand and kissed her knuckles, "Shall we go, then?"

"Yes! We need to get there early," Amelia said matter-of-factly, "Zoe told me she saw all the butterflies and there was this pretty purple one and it was very early and I want to see all of them. Do you think there will be meerkats there, Daddy? I really want to see them…"

Amelia's babbling filled the ride to Leeds; it was very clear the little girl was excited. Anna slowly tried to get into the conversation, which wasn't difficult as Amelia frequently asked her questions and wanted to know her opinions. Once there, they had been lucky to see that the park wasn't very full; Amelia had beamed at the butterflies, quickly letting go of John's hand to chase some more. Anna was enjoying herself too; she had never been there before, and the little girl's enthusiasm was apparently contagious.

"That one looks like it has eyes!" Amelia exclaimed, pointing at a big black and yellow butterfly.

"It does!" Anna agreed, "It's very pretty."

Amelia nodded, fascinated by the colourful insects, and Anna searched for John's gaze, meeting his smile as he walked behind them. He frowned slightly, and Anna mirrored his expression, confused.

"Anna," he said, an amused smile playing on his lips, "there's one on your shoulder."

"Wha-" Anna started, looking around and cringing at seeing a butterfly on her.

She startled, but the butterfly remained there, and Anna's movement made Amelia look up, and laugh happily at the sight.

"Oh, dear," Anna said, letting out a laugh, and John smiled.

"It doesn't bite, Anna!" Amelia explained, "I learnt all about butterflies at school class and they're good bugs. I wish one landed on me too."

"Want me to pass her over to you?" Anna said, slowly crouching down, as Amelia nodded quickly, "Daddy could take a picture of you and the butterfly."

Amelia grinned excitedly as the butterfly took few steps to her hand from Anna's shoulder, and Anna couldn't help but grin back.

"Over here," John said, camera in hands, "Say 'cheese'."

"Cheese!" Amelia and Anna said in union, before the butterfly flew away.

Anna stood up again, and John came to her side as Amelia still looked around mesmerised. Anna laughed, turning her head to look at John as he laced his fingers with hers, urging them to continue their tour on the park; afterwards, they were led to a large room with tanks full of lizards and reptiles – and these, while interesting, didn't hold Amelia's attention for a long time. Anna herself had to admit she preferred the butterflies.

Passing corridors full of vegetation and an aquarium room, they were soon seeing the famous meerkats, and Amelia recovered her previous excitement upon this. She let go of John's hand to run to them, her small ponytail swinging as she ran, and Anna chuckled at the sight, exchanging a look with John.

"Baby meerkats!" Amelia exclaimed, looking back at her father and Anna. "Look, Anna!"

She ran back to them, caught Anna's hand to bring her closer, and with an amused expression Anna went willingly, cooing at the animals the same way Amelia did. Seeing as the little girl was having some difficulty in seeing them properly, Anna offered to pick her up to see everything, and Amelia settled in her arms, still pointing at every animal excitedly.

She felt John's eyes on her and turned to look at him, his gaze fixed on her and Amelia, and urged him to come closer to them.

"You two having fun with the meerkats?" John asked.

Anna nodded, and Amelia happily agreed.

"But where's their mummy?" she asked with a frown, looking around and pointing to an adult meerkat. "Is that the one?"

"Maybe," Anna answered, adjusting Amelia against her as she wasn't used to carrying children. "It could be their daddy too. Just like your daddy."

At that, Amelia smiled broadly, instantly telling the meerkat was just like him, and Anna laughed, suddenly thinking of John as a meerkat. No, that wouldn't do. He was so protective of her, and especially Amelia too. The more she saw of him, and the two of them together, the more she – could she dare say love? – fell for them, the both of them.

"But your daddy is more like a big, fuzzy bear, isn't he?" Anna said, looking at John with a glint in her eyes. "Not like a small meerkat."

Amelia giggled, "Yes! Because he has big arms and he's fuzzy."

John chuckled at their playfulness, shaking his head and pinching Amelia's nose. "And now I have two of you to make fun of me. What have I done, by putting you two together?"

"We're not making fun of you," Anna said quickly, the smile never leaving her face, "Right, Amelia?"

"We're not! We love that you are like a bear!" Amelia exclaimed as Anna put her back on the floor and the little girl grasped her hand. "Can we go to the garden now?"

"Of course," Anna said, winking at John and letting Amelia lead the way. John had been more silent during the trip, obviously giving them space to talk and get to know each other, but Anna suspected he quite enjoyed watching too. And she felt herself flutter every time she caught him staring.

Amelia was quickly enamoured by the gardens, with many wild flowers and even a playground outside for the children. Her eyes silently asked for John's permission almost as soon as she spotted it, and John chuckled and told her to go ahead that they'd be watching. She ran ahead of them, her dark hair bouncing and with a happy smile on her face. Anna couldn't help but smile too; the day was going better than she'd initially hoped for.

"Are you having fun?" John asked as they slowly walked around the garden, towards the large playground.

Anna nodded, "Yes, very much. It's a beautiful place. I really liked the butterflies…"

Just as she was speaking, she felt his hand reaching for hers, urging her to stop walking and she suddenly felt his lips crushing upon hers; it was an innocent, soft kiss – they were in a public place filled with children, after all – but it made Anna immensely happy in a matter of seconds. He was smiling when he pulled away from her, and didn't let go of her hand, going back to walking towards the playground and bringing a still slightly surprised Anna with him.

"What about you? Having fun?" she asked once she recovered.

"Despite you calling me a bear," he joked, "I'm having fun."

They stopped by a bench, right in front of the playground, and sat down. John's arm came to rest on Anna's shoulders, and Anna felt comfortable enough to rest her head on his shoulder; they had been careful about public displays of affection until then, Anna even more than John, mainly because of Amelia, but if John was alright with it, Anna could see no harm in an innocent kiss. As he squeezed her shoulder lightly, she let out laugh.

"Well, you are protective, smart, warm and fuzzy," Anna teased, "You're like a big Teddy bear I want to hug all the time. Amelia agrees."

John laughed, "I'll take that as a compliment."

Anna smiled and turned to look at the playground, seeing Amelia waving at them from the slide and she and John followed her gesture. It was clear that the little girl was having a great time. Anna smiled when she felt John's lips on her hair.

"Thank you for coming," he said quietly, "You didn't have to, just because of her. But thank you."

"Well, I need to get the two of you to like me, since I already like the two of you," she told him teasingly, "How am I doing?"

"Well, you got her," he laughed, then smiled mischievously, "Now, the only question is if you'll have _my_ affection."

"Oh, dear," she said in a quiet voice, mirroring his smile, "I'm worried now."

His only response was a smile, and Anna suddenly decided love wasn't such a risky word, after all.

* * *

John smiled as he saw the pictures from their time in Leeds. He had been right about Amelia offering no resistance to Anna at all. He had been a bit worried that she might take things differently after Vera, but Anna was a completely different person and she had captivated Amelia long before they had become a couple. As it was, Amelia rarely left Anna's side during the whole trip. They had decided to have dinner in the city, and he was proud of the way his daughter took an interest on their conversation, even if her remarks were still that of a child; she seemed to be having no problem at all with his new relationship, and for that John was glad. In fact, now, the day after, she had already asked him twice when they'd see Anna again.

They still had a long way to go, though; Amelia was only the tip of the iceberg. His mother was still very much interested in meeting Anna, and he knew that would happen soon, what with Christmas only three weeks away and Amelia's presentation. He had yet to talk to Anna about how they'd spend the holidays, and he wasn't sure about it at all, having only met her brother once before.

Amelia's excited voice brought him back to the present as she giggled happily from the couch, phone in her ear, talking animatedly to her mother. Kate was hardly present, but he couldn't help but love when she called, simply because of the effect it had on his daughter.

"Okay, I will," Amelia said, holding the phone with her two hands and nodding animatedly, "I love you too, Mummy. Bye!" he smiled, but frowned slightly when Amelia stood up and handed him the phone, "Mummy wants to talk to you, Daddy."

"Thank you, princess," he said, smoothing her hair as she walked away, back to her cartoons. Still frowning, he figured Kate must have forgotten to say something when they first spoke, when she called. "Hello, Kate."

"John," she started, her tone serious, "you never told me you were dating again."

He absentmindedly scrolled through the pictures on the computer, rolling his eyes.

"I presumed you knew," he said quietly, "I'm not exactly hiding. Your father knows. Amelia too."

"Apparently I was the only one who didn't know," she told him.

"Do I need your permission?" he asked annoyingly, but his tone was patient. "I'm sorry. I really thought you knew."

"Well, you need my permission if you're bringing someone into my daughter's life," Kate said, obviously working herself to an indignant state. "Honestly, John. Right after that hideous woman is gone, you go after another. You certainly don't waste any time. Couldn't you just wait until things cool down?"

"You mean like you did?" he lowered his voice so Amelia wouldn't listen, "By moving to Italy when she was one-year-old, three months after our divorce, to get married to someone else?"

He hadn't meant to snap, but sometimes it was difficult not to; he appreciated it when Kate wanted to be a part of Amelia's life, and when she talked things through with him. But he found it difficult to tolerate Kate when it came to her opinion on his personal life. She'd never be one to try and moralise him, and he'd never give her the chance to do so.

Kate seemed taken aback by his comment, and kept silent. He took a deep breath.

"Look, I'm sorry. We're way past that," he told quietly, "Anna just showed up in my life and I couldn't let her go. You'll meet her soon, and you'll see who I'm talking about."

"I'm only worried about Amelia, John," Kate started, "I mean, it must be confusing for her, first Vera, now this _woman_…"

"This _woman_ you're talking about is important to me," he said sternly, "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't judge her beforehand. Trust me on this one, Kate."

Kate let out a sarcastic laugh, "Do I have any other choice, John?"

Moments later, they bid their goodbyes and John took a deep breath, his eyes focusing on the computer screen again. He smiled when he spotted the picture he had taken of Anna and Amelia with the butterflies. He couldn't say Kate's approval wasn't important, but he could live with whatever her judgement would be; Anna was definitely worth it.

* * *

Anna sighed nervously as she took in the pretty houses in the suburb around her. She drove slowly, trying to find the house with the directions John told her; it would be her first time in his house, and her first meeting with his mother. She supposed she wasn't as nervous as she thought she would be; she was merely aware she had a lot to prove today. While her relationship with John couldn't be better, and she and Amelia always had a great time together, it was another thing altogether to meet John's mother. Especially when she probably wasn't happy at her son dating so soon after his second divorce.

Finally, she reached her destination. It was a pretty house, well taken care of, with a beautiful garden, and she smiled when she saw the pink bicycle in the driveway. Once again, she realized how different their lives were. A house in the suburbs with a beautiful garden, a happy child, a good father – John was what every woman dreamt of at some point in their life.

Checking her appearance in the rear mirror, Anna adjusted her hair a bit, and took a deep breath before opening the door; as soon as she did that, the front door of the house opened, and Amelia came running outside.

"Anna!" she said happily as Anna bent down for a hug. "I'm so happy you're here! I took all my DVDs downstairs so we can watch it, but Daddy said I needed to ask you if you want to watch them, because I shouldn't beg, but do you think we could watch two or three movies tonight?"

Anna chuckled at the little girl's obvious desperation and nodded. "Okay, we can watch one or two, if your daddy and your granny won't mind. But only if they don't mind, okay?"

Amelia nodded emphatically, a happy smile on her face, "Okay!"

She took her hand and Anna followed to the front door, just then meeting John's gaze as he stood observing. He smiled at her, and Anna felt her initial nervousness waver a bit. He looked very much relaxed and Amelia seemed very excited. Anna returned his smile, feeling a bit more confident now.

"So you found the way here, after all," John said as she stopped by the door, Amelia running inside quickly and he made use of the moment to kiss her lips softly.

Anna smiled against his mouth, "It was pretty easy. My parents live only a few blocks away, so I know my way around."

"Let me take your coat," John offered, apparently sensing Anna's nervousness, "It'll be fine, you'll see."

Anna let out a laugh as she took off her coat, "I should hope so."

"It will. It's just my mother," he said, stroking her arm reassuringly, "Speaking of the Devil, look who's here."

Anna turned, smiling as she saw Mrs. Bates. She was smiling too, though not very brightly. Anna expected she'd have to be convinced, so she wasn't very much surprised.

"You must be the famous Anna," she said in a rich Irish accent, "I'm Margaret Bates. It's nice to meet you."

Anna shook her hand appreciatively, very much aware that Mrs. Bates was eyeing her from head to toe. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mrs. Bates. I've heard a lot about you."

"Please call me Margaret," she insisted, "And I'm sure Amelia talks more about me than John," Margaret said in a teasing voice, and Anna chuckled.

"Well, yes," she admitted, looking at John, "But the little he says means a lot."

John chuckled and kissed her hairline lovingly, and Anna chanced meeting Margaret's gaze only to see it fixed on her already. She smiled.

"Well, we can't stand in the hall forever," John said, taking Anna's hand and looking at his mother, "Let's go."

They went to the living room and spent some time talking and Margaret was very polite and interested in what Anna had to say, which was nice; Amelia was very much excited and had brought about six Barbie dolls down from her room for Anna to see, which granted her a small scolding from John, but Anna didn't mind. She cooed and complimented the dolls' outfits, and even helped Amelia in brushing their hair and making them suitable for a dinner, just like the little girl wanted them to. When Anna asked John if he needed help with dinner, he pointedly told her everything was under control, and spent a good five minutes praising her cooking to his mother, who seemed curious about it all.

"She's just being modest," John told them when Anna said he was exaggerating, "And now I'm in the front line. It's her first time tasting my cooking. I'm a little nervous here."

Anna chuckled at his teasing tone, shaking her head, all the while brushing the hair of one of Amelia's dolls.

"I'm sure it'll all be wonderful," Anna assured him, "Cora did say you're a great cook, and you've been praising your own skills ever since we met. I'm excited."

Margaret asked her about her favourite dishes and Amelia took part in the conversation too, especially when her granny teased her about chocolate.

Anna felt completely at ease with the three of them, after the initial greetings; Margaret was such a nice person, though she hadn't expected anything less from the woman who raised John. She was attentive with Amelia and asked Anna all about growing up in Harrogate and having family nearby. She even mentioned she had thought about moving to the city, what with John living there, but found it hard to even consider leaving London after living there for such a long time.

Dinner was spent leisurely. John had made them a lasagne, at Amelia's request – Anna had found out this was one of her favourite foods ever, according to the little girl – and she had to admit it was one of the best she had ever eaten. John seemed very much satisfied with her compliments, especially when Anna punctually kissed his cheek to assure him it had all been perfect. Afterwards, Anna insisted on washing the dishes, despite John's protests, and she and Margaret worked together around it, with Amelia insisting on helping too; John made sure she stayed away from anything that could break, though.

Margaret was curious about her ballet years too, and they had shared a nice conversation about it later, while Anna braided Amelia's hair.

"There," Anna said with a smile as she finished the second braid, "All done. What do you think?"

The little girl picked a small mirror and looked at her reflection, squealing in delight.

"I love it! Thank you, Anna!" Amelia said, "Daddy can't do it right and my hair is always lose."

Anna shared a knowing look with Margaret and laughed.

"I'm not that bad," John defended himself with a laugh.

"I'm sure your daddy does his best," Anna said, looking at the current mess the living room was in, with DVDs all over the floor and Amelia's toys around. Amelia picked a baby doll and giggled when it started talking in a foreign language; Anna presumed it was Italian. She and Margaret chuckled. "Do you know what she's saying, Amelia?"

The little girl shook her head violently, "No, it's Italian. Mummy knows it."

"You could ask her to teach you a few words," Anna said, then frowned, "I'm not sure I know a thing of Italian. Buenos días? No, that's Spanish," Anna said, laughing along with Margaret and John, "I know! Buon giorno."

Amelia giggled at Anna's tone of voice and repeated the words.

"And now we have two little polyglots here," John said with a smile. Amelia frowned.

"What's a poly-glot, Daddy?"

"It's a person who speaks more than one language. Like you and Anna," John winked at Anna and she did her best not to giggle.

"But I don't know how! Mummy never teaches me anything," Amelia said quietly, stifling a yawn.

John smiled sadly at her, "Well, you could ask her to teach you a few words. Then you can teach Anna," Amelia looked up hopefully, a smile playing on her lips, "Okay, this is it, young lady. Time for bed."

Amelia cringed at his words, "No, I want to stay and play with Anna! And we still need to watch Barbie!"

"It's already way past your bed time," John told her, standing up.

Amelia looked at Anna, her eyes pleading, "Anna, can you please ask Daddy if I can stay a little bit? Please?"

Anna smiled sadly and shook his head. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but it's late and I'm going home in a minute too. But I can come some other day and I promise we'll watch the movie together. Okay?"

"Can you come tomorrow?" Amelia promptly asked, and John snickered, "Can Anna come tomorrow, Daddy?"

"If she wants to, of course. But we'll leave that for tomorrow, okay, darling?" John said as Amelia nodded quietly, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Now, say goodnight to Anna and Granny."

The little girl hugged Anna tightly before reluctantly leaving the room with John, waving at Anna one last time. Exchanging a smile with Margaret, Anna was sad to see her go, but knew better than to contradict John's rules in their house. It was already late anyway, and she'd be leaving soon; she didn't even ponder on staying over, not wanting to confuse Amelia or to maybe make a bad impression on John's mother, especially when they seemed to be getting on so well.

"She normally doesn't beg so much to stay a little longer downstairs," Margaret commented, "You've made quite an impression on her."

"Yeah, well, she's made quite an impression on me, too. And I shouldn't say this, considering she's not my only student. Will you come to the Christmas presentation?"

"Oh, yes," Margaret promptly said, "Though she wouldn't tell me anything about it. John told me he hasn't even been watching her classes because she wants it to be a surprise."

Anna chuckled. "Yes, she's asked me to not tell a thing too. My lips are sealed. I can only hope you'll like it."

Margaret smiled, "I think we will."

John had walked into the living room ten minutes later, after making sure Amelia was in bed, to Anna and his mother having a light conversation about her studio and the ballet classes. He smiled as he listened; he was more of a listener in their conversations, he realised. He had been sure his mother would like Anna, besides her doubts, and while they hadn't had a chance to talk yet, he was certain he had his mother's approval. Anna was perfect in every way; she had been attentive and spent time with Amelia, making sure she was included in what they did. He was sure his mother appreciated that – and, judging by their animated conversation, they seemed to be getting on well.

Not ten minutes later, Anna announced she should leave, and he had joined his mother in her protests. Anna merely smiled and said it was too late anyway. She bid his mother goodbye, and she invited her over for their Sunday lunch the next day. John smiled. His mother wouldn't invite Anna over again if she didn't like her.

John walked Anna to the front door, exchanging a smile and helping her into her coat.

"Did you have a good time?" he asked her quietly as she turned over to face him.

"I had a lovely time. Your mother is great. I picked up quite a few cooking tips from her," she winked playfully at him.

"And there goes all the family secrets," he shook his head, earning a playful smack on his arm. He let out a laugh, his hands sneaking around her waist and bringing her closer to him. "Thank you for coming. I'm glad you're here."

Anna smiled, "I'm glad to be here too. I had fun."

He leaned into her and caught her lips in a slow, deep kiss; she had no idea how difficult it was for him to not kiss her all the time, whenever he could. She had no idea about the things she did to him.

They parted soon, and he opened the door for Anna, accompanying her to her car. He shook his head at Amelia's bike, forgotten in the driveway. Anna gave him a quick kiss before getting into her car, and he leaned into the door as she closed it. Opening the window, he stole a kiss from her, earning a giggle.

"Will you come for lunch tomorrow?" he asked her softly.

She hesitated a little. "I'm not sure. Do you think your mother really wants me to come? I don't want to be a bother."

"A bother?" he repeated, "You're not a bother, Anna. Believe me when I say she loved you. I'll go back there after you leave and she'll be talking about you forever, asking me all sorts of things."

Anna snickered, "You can't be serious."

"But I am," he assured her, and he watched as she pursed her lips. God, she had no idea how gorgeous she was. "I mean it. Come to lunch tomorrow."

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly, "Alright. If you insist."

He chuckled at her tone, stepping away from the car and letting her go. He waved her goodbye and stood watching as she drove away, a silly smile on his face. Just when he thought Anna couldn't enchant him more…

He shook his head out of his reverie and began walking towards the house, picking Amelia's bike in the middle of his way back; he hadn't been joking when he said his mother would want to talk about Anna now. He had a feeling he was in for a long night.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **First of all - sorry for the delay with this chapter. Took me a while, but it's finally here - and I truly hope you'll like it. I'd love to know what are your thoughts on the story so far - if you haven't forgotten all about it already! :P Thanks so much for reading and for everyone who has reviewed - I'll do my best to update regularly from now on. :)

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

"It's getting crowded out there," Mary commented, peeking through the red curtains of the stage.

Anna looked up from her spot on the floor; she was busy kneeling down to get Amelia's hair the way she wanted. The little girl jumped excitedly at Mary's comment, and Anna exchanged a smile with John. It was finally the day of the Christmas presentation, and Amelia couldn't be more excited. She was beaming in her glittery white dress, complete with a big white tutu, equally glittery. There were two black stripes on the tutu, and John had told her she looked like a black and white little fairy, which seemed to make Amelia happy. As Anna put the white furry band around Amelia's bun, she smiled and sprayed her hair to make sure everything would be in its place until the end of the presentation.

"All done, darling," Anna said brightly, smiling at the little girl.

"Thank you, Anna!" Amelia said, then looked at her father expectantly. "How do I look, Daddy?"

John had been content to watch them until that very moment, and his face broke into a smile as he took in his daughter's appearance.

"You're looking very precious, princess," he bent down and picked her up; Amelia giggled happily.

The backstage was now currently full of mothers and little girls running around; Mary had been kind enough to come this one time, and some of the girls were absolutely ecstatic to see her. Now, however, as the presentation was about to begin, they were slowly going to their seats, and it was for their teachers to handle the little girls.

"Is Mummy here yet?" Amelia asked eagerly.

Mary was the one to shake her head as she looked at the crowd. "I haven't seen her yet, no. But I'm sure she'll be here soon, Amelia."

"She said she'd be here on time, and we still got five minutes," John commented, "Which means, I should probably get back to my seat before Granny lets anyone take it. Will you be alright here with Anna?" Amelia nodded vigorously at that. John smiled. "Okay, then. Give me a kiss and show us what a little star you are with your dance moves."

Amelia giggled and kissed her father's cheek before he put her back in the ground. He took a step closer to Anna and she could see the mischief in his eyes as he looked around briefly before kissing her lips softly. She was smiling when he pulled away.

"See you later," he said quietly before exchanging a smile with Mary and a grin with Amelia.

Anna watched as he walked away and found herself sighing, before being interrupted by Amelia.

"Can I go talk to Sophie, Anna?" she asked quietly.

Anna looked around and saw the little girl in question just a few feet from them, with her mother and Gwen. Anna smiled.

"Alright, but stay with Gwen, okay?"

The little girl nodded smiled brightly at her before going off running to talk to the other girl. They immediately started giggling and comparing outfits – which were the same, really – before both of them twirled in their tutus. Anna let out a laugh, and found Mary staring at her with a knowing smile.

"What?"

"You seem happy," Mary commented, "so I assume things are going well with John, judging by the look on your faces."

Anna rolled her eyes at Mary's teasing tone. "As a matter of fact, yes, things are going very well."

"Has he met your family?"

"He's met Chris a few times. They got along pretty well," Anna stated, "He's meeting my parents this weekend."

"So things are pretty serious," Mary said, to which Anna simply nodded as she took a look at the audience from their vantage point backstage.

She scanned the room quickly. It was, indeed, getting crowded. She saw John talking to Larry in the third row and waved when Margaret noticed her looking. Her eyes darted to the back of the room quickly, though she wasn't quite sure who she was looking for. Some parents were still arriving; was Kate already there? Anna had to admit she was a bit – not nervous, no, she wasn't nervous – apprehensive upon meeting Amelia's mother. John had mentioned they didn't need to be friends and that Anna didn't need Kate's approval, but she still wanted to make a good impression. She knew her relationship with John had just really started, but if it were to advance even further, she wanted to have a good start with Kate, for Amelia's sake.

"Yeah, well… he's special," Anna said with a smile, then turned to take a look at Amelia, currently in a loud conversation with Sophie. "They both are."

Mary smiled at her, but Anna couldn't stop to talk anymore. She excused herself and Mary went to her place in the audience – there was still a lot to be done. The mothers went to the audience as well, and Anna and the teachers got the students together; Anna was particularly happy that Amelia chose to be with her the whole time, holding her hand. She didn't want to be annoying and she had promised John she'd take care of her, but Amelia seemed drawn to her anyway.

With barely five minutes of delay, the dance recital started; Gwen's classes were the first ones to go so Anna was happy to watch, with Amelia sat safely beside her. She seemed to be very excited, commenting on steps and pirouettes and often asking if she would be able to perform like that one day. Anna found it all very endearing, to see how the little girl's eyes shone brighter at a particular move or how she'd smile at a particular song. Anna did notice, however, that her eyes seemed to search the audience every now and then. When the time came for Anna to start getting everyone ready for Amelia's class' presentation, she looked at Anna with huge eyes.

"But Mummy is not here yet, Anna," she stated in a weak voice.

Anna felt her heart break at Amelia's small voice. She looked around for a moment, knowing full well she needed to get all the girls together, but she also knew she needed to cheer Amelia up. Making a quick decision, she kneeled down on the floor and stared at the little girl.

"Your mummy should be here soon. Maybe she'll surprise you during your presentation!" she tried, but Amelia didn't seem to see it that way. Anna pursed her lips. "I'm sure your mummy is late for a reason. She wouldn't miss seeing you like this for anything! Because you know what you look like tonight?"

The little girl shook her head with a sad expression on her face. Anna offered her the best smile she could muster.

"You look like a real ballerina," Anna said in an excited whisper, and Amelia's face lit up almost immediately.

"I do?"

"Yes! You have the tutu, the dancing moves and you're about to perform in front of an audience," Anna explained, "You look beautiful and you should make your daddy proud. And Grandpa and Granny are anxious to see you too. You should show them how happy you are tonight. Because you're a ballerina."

Amelia smiled brightly upon hearing it for the second time. "Just like you?"

Anna nodded. "Just like me," she smiled. "So, ready to show everyone what a wonderful ballerina you are?"

Amelia nodded excitedly and jumped a little bit. Anna let out a laugh and felt her tiny hand slipping into hers as she stood up.

"Okay. Let's get everyone together now."

* * *

Anna smiled fondly and hugged Amelia back as she ran to her, obviously happy and satisfied with her recital. Anna was very proud of her and the other girls – but it was no secret that Amelia was in a special place in her heart by now. Their choreography was simple, as they were all so young, but they were absolutely adorable; their "pirouettes" had the audience cooing and smiling – they were the youngest children there, after all – and Amelia had been nothing short of perfect. Anna could see John's fond smile as he recorded the presentation on camera; his little girl smiled and seemed very happy throughout the presentation.

"You were great, darling!" Anna said as she hugged the little girl. Amelia pulled away and giggled happily. "I'm so proud of you. All of you!" she added as the other girls in her class gathered around her.

The rest of the presentation was a blur to Anna; after having spent weeks organizing it, it passed by so fast that when she realised they were in the last song. Afterwards, Amelia never left her side as some of the girls came to say their goodbyes; afterwards, Anna picked Amelia up and made her way through the crowd of students and teachers. Many parents congratulated her and wished for a happy Christmas, though she was focused on finding John at that moment.

"Do you see Daddy?" she asked Amelia as she carried her outside the stage.

The little girl shook her head.

Before Anna could reply, however, she heard someone calling her name and turned.

"Elizabeth, hi!" Anna said with a smile, recognising the woman in question as the mother of a former student.

"Congratulations, you outdid yourself this year. The dresses are fabulous," Elizabeth said.

Anna let out a chuckle. "Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it," Anna said, then looked at the girl on her side. "Emma was amazing too. Gwen did a great job with her class."

"She's a great teacher. And I see you got your own girl dancing this year," Elizabeth said with a smile, looking at Amelia. "Her presentation was adorable. How old is she?"

Anna hesitated a little before replying; it was quite obvious Elizabeth thought Amelia was her own daughter. Opting to not get into details, Anna smiled.

"She's five," she replied, shifting Amelia a bit in her arms. "She was terribly excited to be a part of it all…"

"There's Daddy!" Amelia interrupted her, pointing ahead of them. Anna turned her head to try and see him and found him just a few feet away from them.

"I'll let you go now," Elizabeth said with a smile. "Merry Christmas, Anna."

"Merry Christmas, Elizabeth. Bye Emma!" Anna said cheerfully as she started to walk towards John, meeting him half-way.

He had a big smile on his face and Amelia instantly threw herself at him.

"My two favourite ballerinas!" he exclaimed, making Anna smile and Amelia giggle. He slipped an arm around Anna's shoulders and she marvelled in being close to him again.

"Did you see me there, Daddy?" Amelia asked excitedly.

"I did, and you were gorgeous!" John said animatedly. "Granny was even worried that you were jumping too high!"

Amelia giggled happily and John exchanged a smile with Anna. She slipped an arm around his waist, thinking she could spare a few moments; she still had a lot to do, even though the recital was over.

"Mummy is here, did you see her?" John asked after a moment.

Amelia shook her head.

"Well, she is. She got here just in time for the ending of your dance," John explained, obviously finding Amelia's lack of talking out of sorts. "She's outside with Grandpa and Granny. Do you want to see her?"

Amelia seemed suddenly very interested in her bright tutu again, and John looked at Anna in worry.

"You should go see her," Anna told them, "I'll be there in a minute. I'll just let the girls know I'll be outside."

"You can stay if you want to, Anna," John hurried to say.

Anna shook her head. "No, I can spare a few minutes." She smoothed Amelia's hair and smiled. "I'll be right back."

After talking to Gwen and having a quick word to Mary, Anna left the recital room and found John very quickly, just a few feet away from it. She smoothed the front of her dress and her coat and took a deep breath before walking to them; Amelia saw her first and smiled brightly.

"Anna!" the little girl met her halfway and took her hand, guiding her. "Tell Grandpa that you think I'm a real ballerina now!"

Anna laughed and followed her, smiling as she greeted Larry first; she had already met him in a handful of occasions, and had been seeing him more lately, now that her relationship with John seemed stronger. She noticed, for the first time, who she supposed was Kate and her husband – who were both quiet and watching the scene in silence.

"She was the perfect ballerina," Anna said, looking down at Amelia, who was grinning.

"Okay, now that Anna said it I believe it, princess," Larry said with a laugh, looking at his granddaughter. "She's the pro, after all."

"It was all wonderful, darling," Margaret told her as she moved to greet her with a proper hug. "Did you create all the dances?"

"Oh, no," Anna hurried to say, "Only for my own groups. The other teachers worked on their own."

"But Anna normally does," she heard John say as he walked to her slipped a protective arm around her waist. "Only this once she didn't."

She felt him kiss her temple softly and couldn't help but smile; it was the little things John did that had her in complete loss, most of the time. Such small comments that meant the world to her. He often said them in order to value her and recognise her work, what always made her so proud of, and he always sneaked these comments in simple conversations so much that he never failed to surprise her. He always could make her heart skip a beat.

"Anna, this is Kate," John started, "and this is her husband, Nico."

Anna offered them a smile and her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Kate shook her hand first. "Ah, the famous Anna. Amelia talks a lot about you."

As she moved to greet Nico, who gave her a friendly smile, Anna couldn't help but detect a bit of bitterness in Kate's tone. She had to admit they made a beautiful couple; Kate was taller than her – though that wasn't very difficult, as John often liked to tease her – and her wavy dark hair reached her shoulders. Anna thought she looked very well for someone who had been traveling for hours that day. She was very beautiful, Anna decided – but then she remembered Mary mentioning John's past wives were beautiful, but dreadful, whatever that meant.

"Does she?" Anna asked, exchanging a bright smile with Amelia, who had chosen to settle by her side.

"Oh, yes," Kate exclaimed, her blue eyes piercing. "You're all she talks about."

She was a bit unsure of what to say, sensing a bit of tiredness in Kate's tones, but she felt John squeezing her waist ever so slightly, and before she could reply, Margaret was engaging her in conversation, which made Anna very thankful and she was sure she had never appreciated John's mother as much as in that moment. It wasn't long before someone suggested they go out to dinner, and it didn't help much that when John mentioned he and Anna would stay for a bit longer, Amelia immediately said she would stay too. John had to explain to her that Anna would be busy for her to understand that it was best if she went with Granny. Anna felt Kate's piercing eyes on her throughout the whole conversation.

She had a feeling things wouldn't go completely perfect tonight, after all.

* * *

"God, you have no idea how glad I am that today is over," John moaned as he and Anna entered her flat later that night.

He was glad that the week was over too; what with the Christmas recital and so much going on, Anna had been very busy for the past two weeks, and they hadn't had much time for themselves in a while. After having dinner with everyone at Amelia's favourite restaurant – it was special day, after all – he was very much glad when his mother suggested he take her and Amelia home and take Anna to her flat later, so that they could 'enjoy themselves', in her own words. He was sure he had blushed at this, but Anna had giggled and teased him about it.

All in all, they had had a nice family gathering. They were only a week away from Christmas, and he thought Kate had behaved fairly well, though he hadn't seen her exchanging many words with Anna. Nico seemed friendlier than her, anyway, but that wasn't all that unusual; what mattered the most was that Amelia had fun, even though she seemed a bit distant towards her mother.

"Tell me about it," Anna sighed as she took off her coat as well. She looked adorable with small snowflakes in her hair and the tip of her nose was a bit red from the cold; he couldn't help but smile.

As she turned to hang her coat nearby the door, he took a moment to appreciate her silhouette. She had chosen a dark blue dress for the occasion – one that fit her ever so well and he hadn't seen her in it before. He smiled; sometimes it still seemed impossible that she had chosen him, of all people, to be with.

He took a few steps and slid his hands around her waist, hugging her from behind. Anna leaned against him, lacing her fingers with his. He kissed her temple gently.

"New dress?"

She smiled. "Yeah. Do you like it?"

"Very much. But then I like you in anything," he told her sincerely, and she chuckled. "Out of anything, too."

Anna hummed in appreciation. "You flatterer."

"Just saying the truth," he said quietly, leaning down to capture her lips in a slow kiss. "You were great tonight. Everything was perfect. And you made Amelia very happy too."

She smiled. "Thank you," her thumb was stroking his hand softly. "I'm not sure Kate likes me, though."

"Don't be silly. Why do you think that?" he nuzzled her neck. Anna let out a giggle.

"Well, she kept staring at me. And I don't think she liked it much when Amelia said she wanted to be just like me. Even though that made my heart melt for her. She's such a precious little girl," Anna said when she sobered up, a small smile playing on her lips. "And she barely talked to me, you know. I spoke more to Nico than to her."

John kissed her ear and let out a laugh. "Should I be worried?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Of course not, you silly beggar."

He turned Anna in his arms and kissed her lips gently. She sighed.

"Don't worry about Kate. She's a difficult person sometimes."

She nodded. "I don't expect us to be friends, but I'd like it if we got along well. She's Amelia's mother, after all. And if we ever get more… serious, it'd be nice if she approved of me."

John smiled at her shyness in approaching the subject. He didn't think he'd ever think of a serious relationship after Vera so soon, but Anna made it all worth it; their relationship was just so natural and he could see them taking it to a new level in the future. Not now, of course, but in the future – and it was nice to know that she apparently thought the same. She and Amelia adored each other, and his mother already considered Anna a friend. There was nothing more he could ask for, and he understood her reasons for wanting Kate to like her – especially if one day they were to marry and she'd become Amelia's stepmother.

"Don't worry about it. You're a great teacher, you're absolutely fantastic with Amelia. Easy on the eye too, I gotta admit that," he said, and Anna rolled her eyes good naturedly. "I'm kidding. You're much more than a pretty face. You're Anna. I don't even know how to perfectly describe how amazing you are. I love everything about you."

His speech had flowed so naturally that he spoke the words without even realising it; they had not yet said the three little important words, and this was a step further to the truth. Anna rewarded him with a bright smile and surprised eyes.

"Well… That's good to know, considering I've had to face you going through a divorce from a crazy woman, and now this one," she told him with a smile. "It's a really good thing that I love you."

His heart skipped a beat as he heard her say the words so confidently, so certain of herself. He was sure he was grinning like a fool now.

"And that's something I can't seem to understand," he kissed her lips softly, "But I suppose you have your reasons."

She smiled against his lips. "I don't need any reasons."

It was very easy to get lost in Anna, and John had realised that soon in their relationship; even now, things weren't much different. Her lips were soft against his as he deepened the kiss and her hands were lost in his hair a second later; when he moved his lips nipped at her ear, she let out a content sigh.

They wouldn't think of any matters anytime soon.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** I'm very happy I managed to update again this week - hope you'll enjoy this chapter, I'd love to know what you think. Thanks so much for reading!

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

Anna was shaking her head as she entered the kitchen, a small smile playing on her lips as she carried the plates to the sink. She could still hear her brother's loud voice as he got into a fairly heated conversation about Leeds' latest match with her father and John. So far, things were going very well. Anna had already told her parents a lot about John – and she suspected Chris had talked about him too – and they weren't very much surprised about his age or the fact that he was already a father. So far, as it was, her dad seemed to have liked him, and her mother kept insisting he eat more during dinner – which was a good sign to Anna.

"What is it?" her mother asked curiously when she saw Anna.

"Oh, nothing. Chris is telling Dad and John that Leeds obviously was better than Chelsea in the match last week, even though Chelsea won. I'm not sure, you know how Chris takes these things seriously," Anna shrugged and rolled her eyes, putting the remaining dishes in the sink.

She stopped by the sink and started drying off the dishes, while her mother washed them.

"John seems nice," her mother commented after a moment. "I'm not sure he liked the food much. Was there anything he didn't like? Did he tell you anything?"

Anna laughed at her mother's worry; only she could worry about someone not eating enough, even after she made John eat so much.

"Mum, he ate enough, _believe me_. And he enjoyed it. He complimented the food, remember?" Anna assured her. "So… what do you think of him?"

Her question was tentative, but Anna had to ask; as much as she was happy and in love with John, of course she'd love it if her mother liked him. Barbara Smith was a bit difficult to please, if Anna were honest to herself; she remembered it took her a few months to like David. But John was completely different, in every sense. Over dinner, Anna was pleased that John seemed to get on with everyone just fine, and her mother even asked him a few questions about Amelia and how hard it must be for him, as a single dad. Anna took her mother's worry as a good sign.

"Well, he's very polite, you know I like that," her mother said after pondering for a moment. "And he seems to genuinely like you, which is a very important thing."

Anna smiled. She knew her mother had not yet got to the point she wanted.

"Okay, you can talk about his age and him being a father now," Anna told her distractedly.

Barbara shrugged; they had talked about it before, of course, before John finally met them. She knew her parents weren't thrilled, but she had a feeling that his age bothered them a bit more than the fact that he was divorced, from what her mother had told her before. Of course, with Anna dating him in quite a while, her parents were well aware of overall information – Anna never hid anything, so they weren't surprised when they saw John.

"Well, it doesn't bother you, so why should it bother me?" she said, "People marry and divorce like crazy these days. Look at your brother! Married for two years," she shook her head, "If you're happy with John, then we're happy for you. Of course he's much older and has a daughter, but… well, that's what a modern family is nowadays."

Anna smiled. "Yeah, it's not the easiest thing, but it's been worth it. Did I tell you I met Amelia's mum?"

"No," her mother turned to look at her in curiosity. "How did it go?"

"All right, I suppose," Anna said quietly, "I'm not sure she likes me. We met at the recital on Friday and had dinner yesterday. She's not very friendly."

"Well, she wouldn't be," her mother snorted. "You know her daughter better than she does. She's probably jealous."

Anna frowned. "Why would she be jealous? Amelia talks about her all the time. She is her mother, after all. The girl is crazy about her."

"And she probably talks about you all the time when she's with her mother," Barbara said. "It's perfectly understandable, she's just a child and John said she absolutely loves you. Her mother is probably not very pleased to hear about all the fun times you two have together when she's not around."

"I see your point. Well, she'll be here for a month," Anna told her, "I'm sure things will be fine by then."

* * *

"This can't be happening again," Chris sighed dramatically as John once again won the pot for the third time in a row. "We shouldn't have asked him to play, Dad."

Somehow, after dinner, Anna's father, George, and Chris had managed to convince him to play brag with them; after agreeing to their game rules that they could only bet coins, and not high money, he had been successful enough to win the game after a failed first try. While he had been mildly worried about how Anna's family would take him, he was lucky enough to have Chris' support and George and Barbara seemed to like him so far. They were very friendly and nice people – but then he wouldn't have expected anything less from the people who raised Anna.

"You just say that because you can't play this right," George rolled his eyes, "D'you play poker, John?"

George was a rather short, light-haired man – even though he was going bald – who had the exact same kind eyes as Anna; he was instantly very friendly and nice, a bit careful perhaps at first, but John had a feeling this was by now gone. A retired teacher, he was well-educated and seemed to have a liking to fishing and reading – something John could definitely relate too.

"I used to play once a week with some friends, but that was years ago," John answered, "Shortly after my daughter was born I stopped. Didn't have much time."

"I play every once in a while. I'll let you know when we do. Might be good to have someone new with us old folks. But I should warn you, we bet high." George said, arching his eyebrows. "Shall we play again?"

Just as he said it, Anna and her mother appeared from the kitchen, light smiles on their faces. John took it as a good sign; Anna often told him her mother was someone difficult to please, so to see them both apparently in a good mood made him rather relieved.

As it was, Anna was very much like her mother in appearance; they both shared similar height, similar features and similar traits. John knew they were pretty close, as only mother and daughter could be. He knew, more than anything, that as much as she told him it didn't matter, she wanted her mother to like him. And he was too eager to please Anna to have it any other way; he had been lucky enough to form a friendship with his former father-in-law and he hoped the same could happen in Anna's family.

"Anna! Come and play brag with us," her father offered as Anna walked towards John to stand behind his chair. She slipped her hands on his shoulders softly.

"What? No, not Anna," Chris instantly complained, then looked at John. "Don't let her play, John. She'll take all your money. Anna is the worst."

"Come on, Anna, you might give your man a run for his money," George insisted, and Anna let out a laugh. "John's won three times already."

"Have you?" she asked him in surprise. He looked up at her with a smile on his face.

"Don't tell me you're afraid you'll lose," John teased her.

She made up her mind instantly. "Okay, I'm in. But just one little game."

This prompted Chris to complain a bit more and tell John how Anna was the best at this game. She sat down across from John and shot him a playful look as George handed out the cards.

A few minutes later, Chris folded his cards, declaring openly he hoped John would win because he had spent the majority of his life seeing Anna win. She remained focused, occasionally winking at John and making little jokes with her mother; it wasn't long until her father folded his cards too and declared he was done. John turned to Anna and knew she was trying her best not to laugh. It was between the both of them now.

"This is gonna be good," Chris said appreciatively. "Come on, John, will you fold or pay to see her cards?"

Anna said nothing, and bit her lip in response. He wished he could kiss that smirk away. He had noticed she hadn't raised any bets throughout the game, but that could be a very wise move on her part. Still, she might have a good hand – better than his, anyway. He had a pair of Jacks of spades and a five of hearts; he couldn't do much with those, unless Anna's cards were completely random. He chanced a look at her. She let out a quiet giggle at his thinking – she was having fun, he could see that. He smiled.

"I pay," he said at last, picking a few coins – they had agreed on betting with coins only – from his pocket and putting them on the table.

Chris whistled and Anna smiled sweetly at him, showing off her cards – a jack, a ten and a nine. He pursed his lips and looked at his cards again. He lost.

"Now show me _your_ cards," Anna said in curiosity, shifting in her seat. John looked at her in mock annoyance and put his cards on the table. "I won."

Anna's voice was triumphant as she picked the coins from the table. John smiled at her and crossed his arms in front of him; she looked incredibly lovely tonight. He was brought out if his reverie by Chris' and George's laments.

"There goes our hope that someone was better than Anna," George said as he shook his head; Barbara was staring amusedly at the scene.

"You let her win, didn't you, John?" Chris asked. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted you!"

This prompted Anna to laugh out loud and John joined her; he supposed he had been in a difficult position. The way things were going, he'd never be able to deny Anna anything in his life.

Things ran smoothly after that; Anna refused to play for another round and even suggested John should call and check on Amelia, who would be sleeping at Larry's after spending the day with her mother's family. He excused himself, and had been graced with his daughter's happy tales over the phone. It wasn't uncommon for her to sleep at her grandfather's when Kate was around, but that didn't diminish John's worries, especially when she had become more prone to having nightmares lately, no matter what he told her about them. Still, his little girl had asked so sweetly and Kate had assured him everything would go well, he couldn't very well say no to her. Amelia had told him all about her day at the park and even asked him if he could pick her up in the afternoon, not in the morning, like they had initially planned. He promised he'd think about it and they bid each other goodbye as she happily wished him a good night.

When Anna finally said they should leave, George had mentioned him joining his poker games and Barbara had even told him to try and bring Amelia along with them the next time around, icily commenting on how neither of her children had their own yet.

When they entered his car and Anna reached to kiss him soundly on the mouth, he was sure everything had gone more than well.

* * *

Anna's hair tickled his face as she leaned down to give him a kiss. She was currently stretched on top of him, the delicious weight of her naked body pressing up against him. She was sweaty and her lips were a bit swollen from their lovemaking; the faint light of the bedside lamp made her hair look like gold and she was positively glowing. She kissed him lightly again. His hands slowly stroked her sides until they reached her shoulder and he took advantage of her leaning down to kiss him to kiss her jaw and slowly take the kisses down, before burying his face in the crook of her neck and inhaling her scent. She sighed contently, resting her head against his and turning to look at him.

"So," he began, his voice soft as a whisper, "how's your first night here going?"

It had been a mutual agreement, when they first got together, that Anna wouldn't spend the night at John's place, simply because of Amelia; John didn't want her to get confused or perhaps too curious about their arrangement, and Anna had thankfully agreed to it instantly. They weren't that long together to feel entirely safe in sharing a bed with her only a few feet away, and despite the fact that Amelia worshipped Anna, John knew it'd take a while – not much, but still, it never happened immediately – for Amelia to be entirely comfortable with her and not minding sharing her dad all the time.

So, when Amelia was set to go spend the night at her grandfather's, John thought it would be nice to take the opportunity to have Anna around for himself, as they always got together at Anna's place and he every now and then stayed the night, when his mother was in town for the weekend.

Anna grinned sheepishly, her hands softly stroking his chest. "Perfectly adequate, thank you."

John frowned. "Adequate? I'd think I had done better than that."

Anna let out a giggle; its sound vibrated against his ear and body and before he knew it the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. She kissed his cheek.

"And you were," she said in a whisper, "infinitely better, I should add."

She kissed him languidly a second later, and he savoured the taste of Anna one more time.

"Your mattress is better than mine," she commented when she pulled away, a small smile on her face.

John chuckled. "I might be tempted to never let you leave it."

This time, he was the one to stifle her giggling with a kiss; God, he loved being with her like this. He was positive he could forget the entire world with her by his side. Their caresses were slow and lazy and never-ending as they lay in bed for a while, simply content in being with each other but not quite as ready to succumb to sleep just yet. Only a few minutes later Anna broke the silence; John's hands were busy stroking the soft skin of her back and she pulled away ever so slightly to look at him, resting her elbows by each side of his head.

"I could stay like this forever, you know," she made her point by kissing his lips languidly. "I could forget about everything, and just be here with you."

She leaned down to kiss him again and this time he deepened the kiss, his hands squeezing her waist as they moved down to cup her bottom. He heard a soft, low moan as he moved his lips to that sensitive spot below her ear and he was sure he'd never have enough of her. He surprised her a moment later when he rolled them over so he was on top of her; she yelped in surprise and let out a small giggle that he quickly kissed away. She shifted against him and he settled in between her legs, one of his hands skilfully stroking the skin of her calf up until her hip. Her own hands were unstoppable against his skin, and he was sure they wouldn't speak much for the next minutes.

Her hand was trailing dangerously down his stomach when the offending noise of the phone ringing startled them. Their hands immediately stilled and he pulled away from Anna, sharing a confused look with her. His first thought had been Amelia, of course, and he immediately worried. Never leaving his position, he stretched his arm to reach for the phone on the bedside table and took a deep breath before answering.

"Hello."

"John, it's Kate. You better come here. Amelia's had a nightmare," Kate's voice came to his ears. He heard Anna sighing and felt her hands running through his hair. "I can't seem to calm her down. She's talking about a monster and that it was too dark and she refuses to go back to sleep. She's asking for you."

"Let me talk to her," John said and was met with silence. Anna looked at him questioningly. "Amelia had a nightmare."

He pulled away from Anna and sat heavily against the headboard of the bed, taking a deep breath. Anna reached to turn on the light of the other lamp and covered herself with the sheets, sitting up as well.

"Daddy?"

He was all too familiar with his daughter's nightmares; they used to be ever so frequent when she was even younger, and had returned a few weeks ago, much to her unhappiness. Still, as he listened to her small scared voice over the phone, his heart broke a little. He was the one who comforted her after every bad dream and put her to sleep afterwards; obviously she'd want him. She'd want her own bedroom, with her toys and favourite stuffed animal and soft lights to soothe her before sleep.

"Hey, princess," he said softly, "Did you have a bad dream again?"

"Y-yes," her weak voice only made him sure that she had been crying. "There was a monster, and I couldn't see it because it was dark and you weren't there and when I woke up it was dark too! I wanna go home, Daddy!"

"All right, I'll bring you home," John told her slowly, "Can you wait a couple more minutes until I get there?"

"Okay."

Amelia's voice was small but she seemed a bit calmer now that she spoke to him. He bid her goodbye and assured her he wouldn't be too long. He turned off the phone and started to get off the bed.

"I'll have to go and pick her up. I know Kate won't help her at all with these things," he said dejectedly as he started to put on the clothes he had been wearing previously. "I'm sorry, Anna."

He watched as she smiled softly and sighed. "It's alright. She's probably scared. You're doing the right thing."

He had just put on his shirt when he noticed Anna was putting on her clothes as well and frowned. "You don't have to come with me. It's freezing outside. Stay here and I'll be back in no time."

She turned just as she put on her bra and frowned. "No, I mean, we had agreed I wouldn't spend the night with her around and she might want to sleep with you when she gets here. I don't want to be a bother."

"No, Anna, you don't have to leave," he told her quickly, "Amelia is perfectly fine in her own room as long as I check on her quite regularly at first. She never sleeps here. She'll be so tired she won't even notice. I'm only sorry I won't be able to give you a good night."

Anna smiled. "All right, I'll stay the night. But I'm coming with you now. I might be of some help, I don't know."

He smiled at her and not for the first time wondered what had he done to deserve her.

* * *

They had arrived in Larry's house to see Amelia sitting on her grandfather's lap quietly, with her eyes wide open and appearing to be very alert. Kate had let them in and John didn't miss the surprised look on her face when she saw Anna with him, carrying a white stuffed cat, Amelia's favourite; he murmured a quick hello and his daughter was in his arms almost immediately.

It had been fairly easy to calm her down once she saw him; she told him about her dream and about how she woke up and couldn't see anything – she had always been a bit afraid of the dark, so that didn't surprise him. He hugged her for a bit longer and whispered reassurances in her ear, which made her seem a bit better. When he told her she could go to the car with Anna, she willingly accepted the stuffed animal and Anna carried her to the car without any trouble whatsoever, though the little girl's only response to her mother's goodbye had been a sniff.

He got Amelia's things and talked to Kate about leaving a light on, like he had done previously in the day, but apparently Kate hadn't listened.

"I forgot," she admitted, "The hall's light was on when Amelia went to bed and I must have turned it off when I went to bed."

"I told you she had nightmares," John repeated with a sigh. "But it's fine now, she'll be fine when she gets home. Might even sleep on the car. I know her."

"I'm sorry for waking you up," Kate said softly, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"You didn't, so it's no problem," he replied without thinking. "I best get going. We're all tired and it's late already."

"Is Anna staying there? With you?" Kate asked as she accompanied him to the door. "Do you think that's wise, with Amelia there down the hall? Honestly, John, I thought you were more concerned about our daughter's–"

"Don't say well-being," John interrupted her before she could finish, "because I assure you there's no one more concerned about it than I am. Anna was only staying tonight because Amelia wasn't there. And she'll stay now because there's no point in taking her to her flat in downtown at 3 in the morning. She wanted me to take her home, but I insisted she stayed. Give her some credit. She cares for Amelia too."

He had left without another word, not in the mood for arguing; when he got to the car, he was relieved to find Anna softly talking to Amelia about some random subject, enough to make the little girl at ease. She fell asleep on the way home, and he had been thoughtful enough to turn on the spinning lamp in her room – one that had butterflies in it and cast its designs on the wall. He stood there for a couple moments, making sure she was asleep before going to his room, where he found Anna sitting up in bed, wearing her pyjamas. He smiled.

"How is she?" Anna asked in a quiet voice.

"Asleep," he answered as he changed into his pyjamas, "I think she'll be fine now. After the initial scare she generally sleeps until morning. I'll just check on her every now and then."

"Well, she's home now," Anna commented with a smile, "That's enough to make many people feel better."

John smiled as he climbed onto bed beside her, and she shifted so that she was lying down; he scooted her closer, and she rested her head against his chest as his arm was wrapped around her shoulders.

"Sorry tonight didn't exactly go as initially planned," he whispered softly.

Anna let out a chuckle. "Of course it went just as planned. You were a success with my family. We came here, you rocked my world – twice, I should add," she said sheepishly and he had to smile at her shy tone, "And then you made sure your daughter is fine and comfortable, under your watch just down the hall," she took a deep breath and looked up at him, "I'd say you have nothing to be sorry for."

She snuggled closer to him, making herself comfortable. He sighed contentedly, happy that she was all right with the way things went. He kissed her hair and noticed her breathing was already settling into a rhythm; she too would be asleep in no time.

"I love you," he whispered softly, just because.

Her reply was sleepy and weak, but he knew her enough to know that she meant it.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: **Due to some internet problems, I'll likely be offline for the weekend (which will probably make me write the next chapter faster, so yay?) so I thought I'd post this now. Thanks so much for everyone who has read and reviewed so far - we're actually almost in the end here. Next chapter will probably be the last one and I'm thinking of a smaller epilogue later. Meanwhile, hope you enjoy this one - it's the longest so far! We'll know more about Kate and I'd like it if you told me what you think of her - guess it makes me nervous to have a new POV in the story. ;)

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

Kate hung up the phone and massaged her temple softly, still weary from the previous night. She was normally a difficult sleeper; it took her some time to sleep, but once she did, she generally could count on sleeping well until morning. When she was woken up abruptly, however, she had trouble getting back to sleep. Amelia's nightmare made her remind of when her daughter was just a small baby, of when she and John were still married. She remembered feeling so tired she could hardly keep up. No wonder John took care of Amelia during the nights, after a while.

Or, to be more precise, took care of and raised their daughter on his own.

Kate didn't really make a secret of the fact that she wasn't born to be a mother; she supposed she lacked the basic instincts. Not that she didn't love her daughter – because she did, very much so. Some people thought she was too cold towards her, and maybe even neglecting. She didn't mind. She had never liked children much – she had never known how to handle them. When she got pregnant, she thought it would change. It didn't. She would be forever grateful for John. As much as their history together was over, he had been a good husband – and she couldn't have wished for a better man to father her child. He absolutely adored their daughter. Kate used to love hearing her talk about their adventures together. Nowadays… Nowadays Amelia talked more of Anna.

And that frightened Kate.

It was an unknown territory, to say the least. She hadn't expected John to be single forever, neither she wanted him to. He was still young, and as much as they weren't a couple anymore, she knew him. He was a family man – the typical man who, if with the right woman – could grow old happy and satisfied with a wife and his children. Kate wasn't like that; she was thankful to have found a man with similar thoughts as her. Nico also had children of his own, and much like her, they didn't live with them. They were both older too, young adults. They both didn't want children anymore.

But John – John was different. He loved children and she knew he loved being a father. She could easily see him remarrying and maybe having another child.

When Amelia was a toddler, he had told her he had started dating again. She had been glad; he had assured her he wouldn't bring women home and would be sure to care for their daughter first. Kate never doubted him. He had mentioned a girlfriend a little after that, but she never made it to actually meeting Amelia. Only almost one year later, John mentioned Vera.

Kate had met Vera a couple of times – she even went to their wedding. She seemed rather indifferent towards Amelia. The little girl didn't talk much of her, not even after they were married. Kate liked it that way; Vera wasn't trying to be her mother. That seemed interesting and less confusing for a small 4 years old. Months later, John had told Kate things weren't going well in the marriage. Vera didn't give Amelia any attention whatsoever and, apparently, complained when he did. That made Kate worried. But, once again, she trusted John. Not long after that, he announced they were getting a divorce.

But now this Anna was around. And she was… different. Certainly different from Vera. Amelia was very captivated by her. And she knew John enough to know that he was completely in love with her. Amelia often talked to her about how Anna took her to the park while John was working, or how Anna let her explore her office and she found pretty ballet shoes. If Kate were honest to herself, she didn't like the whole ballet thing. It would only lead to disappointment. Amelia couldn't be a ballerina, few people could. Anna was a mere teacher, after all. Amelia needed a real dream, something that could be within her reach. And Kate was certain Anna was encouraging her, and she didn't like the incentive Anna seemed to have over Amelia.

She seemed to be everywhere too; in John's shop, in John's place, with John all the time. Kate suspected the relationship was moving faster than they let on. And now she called him, to know how Amelia spent the night after leaving, and Anna picked up the phone. It was becoming increasingly annoying.

She was brought out of her reverie by the sound of the kitchen's door opening and her father entered the room, closely followed by Trooper, the lazy basset hound. Larry seemed surprised to see her there.

"You're up early," he noted, arching his eyebrows. "You picking up Nico from the station soon?"

"No, he comes in the afternoon train from London," Kate told him softly as she watched him prepare his toast. "I barely slept after Amelia left. I just called John to see if she's alright."

Her father eyed the clock; it was barely after seven.

"Bit of an early time, eh?" he commented. "The little one is probably asleep. John might have been asleep, you know."

"He wasn't. _Anna_ answered the phone," Kate said, not hiding her annoyance. "He was in the shower. But apparently Amelia slept through the night and still wasn't up."

She let out a sigh and decided to feed Trooper, as his bowl was empty and she should do that before he decided to get another one of her shoes.

"You should try to get to know Anna," her father said after a moment. "You'd be surprised."

"What, she has you under a spell too?" she was met by his severe gaze. "I'm sorry. I'm just tired. I just think she's around too much. I don't want Amelia to be hurt when she leaves."

"_If_ she leaves. And it's not looking that way," Larry said. "She's a lovely woman. John was lucky. She makes him happy. She makes them both happy."

"I don't think she's a good influence with all the ballet talk," Kate told him, "And she does give Amelia a lot of attention."

"How's that a bad thing?" he said between sips of his tea. "Surely we can both agree that the child could use a more constant presence of a woman in her life. And Anna is willing to fill that gap. You, of all people, should be the most grateful. She's doing what you never did."

"We are not discussing this again," Kate warned him as she sat across from her father. "I understand that. I'm just not sure if Anna is the right person for this. Should she really be sleeping with John when Amelia is a few feet away?"

"They're together for a few months, and they're both adults. They know what they're doing," Larry told her sternly, "You can trust John. And you can probably trust Anna."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"I met her before she and John were even dating," he said, "She's been taking care of your child and making her happy for these past months. She includes Amelia in almost every trip, every day out she plans with John. Which is a lot more than you can do from another country."

Kate weighted on his words and chose not to reply. His father shrugged.

"Just give her a chance. You might be surprised."

* * *

Anna opened the door to John's shop, which had just barely been opened, and she only had time to greet William before Amelia's voice reached her ears.

"Anna!" Anna had to smile at the little girl, who was almost running to the door to greet her enthusiastically. Anna wasn't exactly sure what the dress code was, but she had a feeling they rarely included bright green rain boots, blue leggings and a bright pink dress; if she were honest, Anna was worried about how Amelia's coat was. But it was still kind of endearing, and she had to laugh at the image the little girl presented. Anna bent down to give her a hug, and she immediately started chatting away. "Daddy said we're going shopping and he even let me pick out my clothes for our day, do you like it?"

Anna let out a laugh; she had been worried Amelia wouldn't be very excited to go shopping. They had Edith's wedding to go to, and Amelia was the flower girl; she had complained about the shoes Edith had chosen for her saying they itched in her heel, even though it was the right size, so Edith had been kind enough to let Amelia find the perfect shoes of her liking – as long as they went well with her pretty dress, of course.

"Very pretty!" Anna complimented, as the girl was obviously proud of her choice of clothes. She followed the little girl into the story. "Hey, Alex. Is John busy?"

"Hi, Anna," the clerk girl said with a smile, all too used to seeing Anna around. "I don't think he's too busy to see you, no."

"Come on, Anna!" Amelia said insistently, tugging at her hand.

Anna chuckled and followed the little girl to the back of the store, where John's office was. She shook her head as they briefly passed the store room; it was quite obvious they had gotten a new delivery of books that had yet to be touched. She usually liked spending time around; there was something rather soothing in the smell of books and the company of John and occasionally Amelia.

She smiled when she saw him behind his desk, deep in concentration, looking at something on the computer screen with his glasses on. He looked up just as they entered the room, a warm smile slowly appearing in his features.

"Hey," he said as he stood up. "You're early."

Anna welcomed his soft kiss and smiled. "Thought we'd start as soon as possible. Are you sure you can't come with us?"

"Shopping?" he let out a laugh as he pinched Amelia's cheek softly. "No, I'll let you girls have fun. I might even need to stay here later to get all the new books sorted."

"I'll let you know when we're finished," Anna told him.

"Sorry about her clothes, too," he said sheepishly. "We were running late and she was terribly excited."

Anna laughed. "It's no problem. She's just being a kid."

"Can we go now?" Amelia asked impatiently. John shot her a warning look.

"Only after you take your coat," he said, handing her a thankfully beige coat to go with her clothes. "And you remember what we talked about, young lady?"

Amelia nodded solemnly, and Anna looked at John with a questioning frown. He shrugged.

"Never mind, you," he kissed her softly on the lips. "Now, don't buy anything for her but the shoes. Not even when she begs for it. I'm all too familiar with her ways," at that, Amelia giggled. "Now off you go."

Amelia kissed his cheek in a hurry and instantly grabbed Anna's hand for them to go. She thought she was in for an interesting day.

* * *

By the time they found the shoes they needed – they had found a flat, delicate white pair of shoes that was very lovely and would go very well with Amelia's dress, and Anna had given in and bought a new pair of heels for her to wear on the occasion – they headed for a small, children friendly café nearby.

Amelia chatted happily with her as they ate, having chosen sugar biscuit and a hot chocolate; Anna was feeling a bit guilty for not following John's warning of not buying Amelia anything. After trying out her shoes, the little girl saw in the window an ugg boot just like the ones Anna was wearing at the moment, and her eyes immediately shone. Anna had about two seconds before deciding she could at least try it. And when Amelia's eyes lit up as she looked at herself in the mirror with very similar boots as Anna's, she couldn't very well say no. She didn't think John would mind much.

"Can we do this again, Anna?" she asked her after sipping her hot chocolate.

"What, sweetheart?"

"Shopping! And just us," Amelia told her eagerly, "Daddy doesn't like shopping."

Anna chuckled. "I'm sure he doesn't. And of course we can do this again."

Amelia smiled brightly. "Can I go play there?"

She pointed at the playground in the corner of the room, where two children were playing.

"After you finish at least one biscuit, yes," Anna told her, and the little girl finished the cookie rather quickly before asking again. Anna smiled and told her she could go.

She had to laugh at Amelia's excited run towards the playground, especially with her brand new boots that she had insisted on wearing when they left the shop. Anna kept a careful eye on her, enjoying the quiet atmosphere. They had had no hurry while shopping and it was quite peaceful, since Christmas had already passed. As much as some people wouldn't think much of spending time with your boyfriend's daughter, Anna had thoroughly enjoyed herself; she loved children, and she did love spending time with Amelia.

She searched for her phone to make sure John hadn't called, and indeed he hadn't yet. It was a good thing he trusted her enough to take care of Amelia. When she looked up again, she was surprised to see a woman talking to Amelia on the playground. Anna was alert immediately, and she was about to stand up and go there when the woman turned. It was Kate.

She met her eyes in that very moment and relaxed a bit on her seat. Anna tried out a smile. She hadn't seen Kate in a few days, and if she were honest to herself, she hadn't been looking forward to seeing her again. Kate hadn't been friendly and the she had been colder than usual towards her over the phone in the previous week. So Anna was very surprised when Kate started walking towards where she was seated.

"Hello, Anna," she said quietly. "Is John around?"

"Oh, no, he's working," Anna replied. "Amelia needed new shoes for a wedding, so we were trying to find one that would match her dress. John didn't trust himself to choose a suitable one."

"Nor did you, I should hope," she commented, and Anna was pleasantly surprised that her tone had been light. "Would you mind terribly if I joined you?"

"Not at all," Anna said quietly as Kate took a seat across from her. "It's a surprise to see you here."

"I always try to come here when I'm around," she told her, "It's my favourite deli in town. Their fat rascal is amazing."

Anna nodded in agreement; she was still eating hers. "The best in Yorkshire. I've come here for over ten years, definitely."

"Oh, so you've lived here for a while, then."

"Apart from a few years in Leeds when I danced professionally, I've lived here all my life," Anna told her as she took a sip of her coffee.

Their small talk was interrupted by a waiter to take Kate's order. Anna waved at Amelia, who ran back to their table in a hurry. She took off her headband and handed it to Anna.

"It keeps falling off!" she complained as Anna took the headband from her.

"Do you want another biscuit?" Anna asked concernedly; surely at such an hour Amelia was hungry enough to eat more than just one biscuit. Thankfully, she didn't have to insist. Amelia sat back down on her chair and nodded.

"So you went shoe hunting?" Kate asked almost shyly as the waiter left. She looked between Anna and Amelia.

"Yes!" Amelia answered happily after a mouthful of biscuit. "I got really pretty shoes for the wedding, and Anna got me new boots that are just like hers. There was a pink one too, but the lady said they didn't have it anymore so I chose this one, and see, there's like pink glittery buttons!"

Anna watched as Kate smiled at Amelia's chatter and decided to keep herself silent. Amelia told Kate all about how excited she was for the wedding while eating the biscuits. Soon enough, she decided it was time to go back to the playground, and left them on their own.

"You didn't have to buy those boots," Kate commented, and Anna was rather surprised by her normal tone of voice again. "You're going to spoil her."

"Oh, it's really no problem. She put those on and it just looked so cute," Anna rolled her eyes, "John always says I need to learn to say no to her. And I do know how to say no. I teach children, after all. But she's such a nice little girl. You should be proud."

She smiled a bit sadly, Anna thought.

"I suppose I am. But it's hardly my doing," she said at last, "John is the one who should take all the credit, really."

Anna wasn't sure what it was that made Kate seem so open and chatty, and she listened to her words with a bit of caution. She decided against replying, unsure of what she could say to such a statement. Of course she agreed with what she was saying; John basically had been raising Amelia on his own. They stayed in silence just as Kate's order came, and she took a sip of her coffee before talking again.

"So," Kate started, "you actually were a professional dancer? I didn't know that."

Her tone seemed genuinely curious, which threw Anna off momentarily. She quickly recomposed, and they had an amicable chat about Anna's job and, later on, Kate's life in Italy. It was all quite a surprise, Anna realised, especially since Kate had been less than friendly towards her. But she was glad to get to know Amelia's mother, despite everything. Kate was well-educated and even funny sometimes; Anna could easily see why she and John were together for so long, they did have many things in common. Not for the first time, she wondered why their marriage crumbled down completely, as she knew it was more than the fact that Kate met Nico. She had never really asked John much about it.

Amelia came and went, often stopping by to eat a biscuit and she was disappointed when Anna told her it was time to leave and the three of them left the café together, splitting ways to go to their respective cars. Anna couldn't help but notice the same sad smile on Kate's features when Amelia waved at her from Anna's car.

Anna supposed nothing was particularly easy for any of the sides in this situation.

* * *

John found it odd when he opened the front door and was met with silence. Anna had stopped by the shop earlier, when they had finished shopping, and since he'd have to work until later, she had offered to take care of Amelia a while longer. The little girl was excited at the prospect, but John didn't want to be a bother to Anna; instead, she had assured him it'd be no problem at all. She had said it with such ease, such normality, and even though it was such a simple thing, he could swear he fell a little bit more in love with her. He did insist on her taking one of the keys to his house to not trouble her with Amelia in her flat, even though she did say it wasn't a problem.

He had fully expected to have them both to greet him when he opened the door, or to maybe see them in the living room; as he stepped into the hall, however, he could discern muffled voices coming from the kitchen.

He opened the door quietly and left it slightly ajar, hoping he wouldn't be seen. He had to smile at the sight before him.

Anna and Amelia were standing by the sink with their backs to him, and Amelia was standing up on a chair. They both had their hair in a ponytail and seemed to be focused on whatever Anna was doing. He frowned when he noticed flour on the floor. Anna coughed. It seemed like they had been using the mixer before. Anna was apparently cleaning something. Amelia giggled and turned her head to look at Anna, and it was then that he gave his location away; his little girl's face was covered in flour. He had to snicker at that, thus opening the door wider when they both turned towards the door. He noticed Anna had flour on her face too, though not as much. They both looked downright adorable.

"Daddy, look, we're cooking!" Amelia announced rather proudly, which prompted Anna to laugh.

"Well, trying to," she corrected as he approached them both.

"What happened here?" he asked amusedly.

"We had a bit of an accident with the mixer," Anna explained. "Don't worry, I'll clean it up."

"I'm not worried," he stated rather simply, with a smile. "What were you doing, anyway?"

"A cake!" Amelia said cheerfully. John chuckled as even her eyelashes were covered in flour. He had a feeling the accident had been caused by her. "And we made dinner too, and I helped."

The little girl sneezed loudly after speaking, surely because of all the flour. John shook his head.

"We should get you cleaned up," he said softly.

She shook her head. "No, we need to finish the cake!"

"You've already made dinner, I'm sure Anna can finish the cake now," John said, winking at Anna. "All right?"

The little girl pursed her lips. "Fine. But can I bake a cake all by myself next time?"

John chuckled as he grabbed her hand and they started to walk away. "We'll think about it."

* * *

Anna turned as he entered the kitchen, ten minutes later. They exchanged a smile and he noticed she had already got everything cleaned up and had apparently finished the cake. He took her hands and kissed her lips softly.

"Where's Amelia?" she asked as he pulled away.

"Taking a shower, after much insistence," he sighed dramatically. "What really happened here?"

Anna grinned. "I had just put the flour in the mixer and Amelia turned it on without meaning to. It was only on for two seconds, but it made quite a mess."

"Must have been a funny scene."

She chuckled. "It was. How was your day?"

"Tiring, but we finished cataloguing all the books into the new system," he told her as he sat down by the breakfast bar. "How about your day? I heard you got Amelia new boots."

"It was very fun, and yes, I did get her new boots," Anna replied with a smile, "Don't even bother on asking me how much they were because they were a gift."

He rolled his eyes, but knew better than to insist.

"We ran into Kate at the café," Anna said conversationally. "Believe it or not, she even sat with us and we talked."

John arched his eyebrows; now that was a surprise.

"Really? How was it?"

"It was nice," Anna said softly, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms in front of her. "She was very friendly. Actually scared me a little," she let out a chuckle, "but she was really nice. We talked about the studio and her office in Italy. Just… really nice. I'm glad we ran into her."

John smiled; he knew Anna thought it was important for Kate to like her, even though he really couldn't care less. Of course it'd be nice if they could be civil towards each other, but he didn't need Kate's approval nor it would change the way his relationship with Anna worked.

"I'm happy to hear that," he said at last, "I'm sure she'll see in no time how amazing you are."

She smiled at his words, and he noticed she hesitated a bit before speaking again; he remained silent, waiting for her to make up my mind.

"Only… I did feel bad later on," she told him quietly, "When we were leaving. I took Amelia and we went to my car, and she just… went home alone. And I was with her daughter. I guess I felt a bit guilty, which I know is ridiculous, but still. I'd hate to be in her shoes."

He smiled sympathetically, and for a moment wished he could feel the same sympathy towards Kate. It was quite amazing how different they both were.

"She was the one to leave her child here," he said simply, "so I'm thinking she's starting to realise what she's missing."

Anna nodded. "I suppose so. It seems quite insane that she left when Amelia was so young. And you were still married too," she sighed, then risked a glance at him. "You know, you never did tell me much about it."

He sighed; it had happened a long time ago, and as much as he was happy at the moment, it still hurt to think about it. It certainly hadn't been an easy time in his life. In less than six months, he became a father, got divorced and started to raise Amelia on his own. Quite a different life from the one he used to have with Kate.

"There isn't all that much to it," he explained, "Kate didn't want children, I persuaded her. I like to think she did it for love," he said matter-of-factly, "She wasn't very patient when Amelia was a baby. Complained and cried constantly. There was the opportunity to go to that conference in London, so I encouraged her to go. And she met Nico there. Who would choose a father of a young girl, owner of a book shop in Yorkshire, to a nice Italian architect?"

Anna smiled and walked over to him, sitting on his lap. "I would."

He had to smile at her words and kissed her lovingly on the lips. "And for that I'm glad," they exchanged a smile. "So she left. I won't say I wasn't sad – I was devastated. But a bit later on, I realised the marriage had been crumbling down for months. Even before we had started trying to get pregnant. I shouldn't have insisted on the subject, but I can't say that I regret it. Kate might have made me miserable for a while, but she did give me Amelia."

He must have said something right, because before he knew it Anna was kissing him again, slowly and languidly; he savoured the taste of her and shared a sigh when they both pulled away. It was very easy to talk to Anna; he couldn't remember ever feeling so comfortable in talking about this subject with someone before.

"It must have been hell for you," Anna commented, settling herself comfortably against him.

"It wasn't easy," he admitted, "but we're over that now. At the time I felt guilty over Amelia being so young. But now I see it was better that way. Her mother isn't around much, but she has never known any differently. She doesn't know what it's like to have a mother around. Vera certainly didn't even try."

If he were completely honest, he'd admit that Anna was the closest person Amelia ever had as participant, willing mother figure. And that fact itself frightened him quite a bit; he had stayed together with Vera for over a year, and Amelia never really missed her afterwards. And now, he and Anna had been dating for only a couple of months and Amelia already asked of her daily. He could only hope things would keep on going well for them.

"Luckily for her, she has an amazing father," Anna said with a smile, her soft hand stroking his cheek.

She sighed loudly before standing up again to check on the food. John couldn't help but notice how well she was fitting into his home. She and Amelia always seemed to have such a nice time and he knew his daughter respected Anna too; though he worried that sometimes Anna was too easy on her, he kept reminding himself that she did work with small children and knew how to handle them. He smiled. She'd be the perfect mother one day – she already was so incredible with Amelia, albeit from a certain distance. He was fairly certain they could adjust well as a family, if he was optimistic enough to think of that as their future. And, perhaps, not in such a distant future, after all.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Anna looked up from her work as she heard a knock on the door, promptly followed by the door opening and her mother's smiling face coming to view. She smiled back.

"Mum, what a nice surprise!" she said, standing up to give her mother a hug. It wasn't often she ventured into the studio, and Anna appreciated the surprise; she wasn't particularly in the mood for bureaucratic paperwork. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, I had some bills to pay and decided to stop by," she said dismissively, sitting down on one of the chairs in front of Anna's desk. "I wasn't sure if you had any classes today, though, but Kylie told me you're free until five."

"Mondays are the lightest days," Anna told her as she sat back down. "Gwen left so I'm taking over a few of her classes, while I haven't found a replacement."

"Oh, right. How is she settling on in Leeds?" her mother asked interestedly.

"So far so good," Anna said with a smile; Gwen had left after Christmas to join the Northern Ballet, in Leeds, where Anna and Mary had first started. "Oh, I'm going to London this weekend. Do you want me to get you anything?"

Her mother frowned at her words. "London? Why?"

Anna supposed it shouldn't be much of a surprise since she used to go to London frequently up until a few months ago; to meet Mary, and sometimes spend the weekend with David when he was needed there, though that was a while ago. But she hadn't gone there ever since she started seeing John, so of course her mother was curious.

"Mary is presenting The Nutcracker," Anna explained, "so John and I are going over to see it. Since it's on Saturday night, we decided to stay for the weekend."

"There goes my plan to invite you over for lunch on Sunday," Barbara rolled her eyes, "I don't suppose you'd want to come over on Friday night?"

"I'll talk to John, but he might want to spend the evening with Amelia, since he'll be away for the weekend and she's staying with her mother," Anna answered thoughtfully. "Either way, I can come."

"Well, tell him he can bring her along," her mother promptly said, "You always talk about what a nice little girl she is, so I don't see a problem."

"I'll talk to him. Thanks," Anna said, then took a look at the time. "Which reminds me. I need to pick her up from school in half an hour. John is in Leeds on business so I told him I'd get her. She's in my class at 5 anyway."

Anna had said it all with a smile, but she knew her mother enough that, judging by the way she just sat back on her chair and crossed her arms, she knew she was up to something. That wasn't always a bad thing, though it make Anna mildly concerned about what her mother was thinking.

"What?" Anna glared at her.

"I was just thinking that you and John are pretty serious," Barbara said nonchalantly, but Anna knew there was more to it than that. "Going away for the weekend, taking care of his daughter. You might as well be talking of marriage already."

"Mum, isn't it a bit too early for that?" Anna asked, "We've only been together for a few months."

"He did marry his second wife pretty early in the relationship, didn't he? You told me that a while ago."

Anna rolled her eyes. Of course her mother would remember that.

"Yes, and look how well that turned out for him," Anna told her. "I like to help him with Amelia. I don't know how he handles everything on his own sometimes. And I insisted on the weekend away. I know he'll worry about Amelia, but she has been spending a few nights with her mum's family and everything's been fine. I think he could use a little away time."

"I'm sure he could," Barbara agreed. "I'm glad he's making you happy, of course, though I do wonder if he plans on getting married again after two failed marriages. Have you ever talked about it?"

"No, we haven't," Anna shook her head. "We're just seeing how things go, Mum. It's too early for that."

"I know, I know. I just worry you're wasting time again, like you did with David," Barbara explained with a soft smile. She sighed. "I don't suppose you've got any time for tea with your old mother, with your new stepmother duties?"

Anna rolled her eyes again, but this time she smiled. "Tell you what. You can come with me to get Amelia and then we can have tea afterwards. I can drop you home before the class."

Barbara smiled. "Works for me."

* * *

Anna snuggled into John's neck, still half-asleep, marvelling in his warmth. She could sense he was awake for a while now; her first clue was that he didn't seem to be snoring – John was very lucky Anna was a heavy sleeper. The second clue was that his fingers were running through her hair in a soft, gentle rhythm. She could stay in bed like this for days and she wouldn't care about the world outside.

She refused to open her eyes, though; opening her eyes meant they'd have to be up soon and today would be their last day in London. They'd need to get the car and go up north soon after lunch, and Anna had enjoyed the weekend much more than she initially thought she would.

John's mother was visiting her sister in Ireland, and had even offered them to stay at her house, but John had refused; Anna knew he wanted it to be just them and she was glad he had chosen to stay at a hotel. Less things to worry about. They spent Saturday afternoon in bed, languidly and leisurely, having their bodies spent by lovemaking, then later just savouring each other's presence and talking nonsense; it wasn't something they did very often, what with their hours together being limited for when Amelia was away. Even though Anna had been sleeping at John's more often, they were still very careful and rarely attempted anything. Somehow, it didn't feel very right, at least not so soon. So Anna was very much enjoying having John all for herself now, and she already knew it'd be difficult to share him again later.

They'd gone to see Mary and Anna had a very good time; it had been months since she went to a ballet presentation and it was nice to go with John. He was an attentive listener, demonstrating interest when she mentioned a difficult pirouette or anything of the sorts. He was insistent she'd have to show him some of her presentations – her parents had recorded a few of them – and afterwards, having enjoyed a very nice dinner John had arranged in a fancy restaurant – despite Anna's protests that it was too much – they spent an uneventful night making good use of the hotel room's big bath tub and, later on, the comfortable mattress. Anna was being thoroughly spoiled.

A shiver ran through her when she felt John lips under her ear, and she let out an appreciative sigh. She wouldn't be able to keep her eyes closed much longer.

"I know you're awake, Anna," she heard John's playful voice and couldn't help but smile.

"Mmm," she mumbled, "What gave me away?"

"I just know," he answered simply, and she opened her eyes slowly, blinking rather heavily. She was surprised by his lips on hers almost immediately, and she responded after a second. "I never get tired of waking up next to you."

Anna smiled sleepily and snuggled closer, wrapping her arms around him and breathing in his scent.

"I should hope not," she murmured, "It doesn't happen enough, if you want my opinion."

His hands were caressing her back absentmindedly and Anna loved being able to be lazy and stay in bed with him; it was a far too good sensation to not care about it.

"I quite agree," he said after a moment, kissing her hairline. "Did you sleep well?"

Anna nodded. "What about you? Have you been awake for long?"

"I slept very well, but woke up at the usual hour. About forty minutes ago," he answered.

She groaned. "What have you been doing all this time? You could have woken me up, you know."

"I didn't have the heart to wake you up," John admitted, "so I just waited. So what do you want to do on our last day here?"

"Well," she kissed the crook of his neck, sucking it ever so softly. "I don't suppose we can stay here until it's time to leave, can we?"

He groaned at her response. "Room service it is."

Anna only had time to giggle before he rolled them over and covered her body with his.

* * *

John smiled as he watched Anna and Amelia attempting to dance together. They presented quite the picture; Amelia was wearing her puffy pretty flower girl dress, a perfect vision in white and curly hair. He supposed he wasn't one to say, but his daughter looked positively beautiful. The smile she had on her face helped a lot too – she was having the time of her life, he knew, as she had told him many, many times about how her dress made her look like a fairy tale princess. He was glad Edith had invited her to be her flower girl.

Anna was quite a vision too. She looked mighty precious in a knee-length pink dress – she had called it some other colour, though he couldn't remember it at the time – that hugged her in all the right places, and some metallic heels he supposed were fashionable. Anna was smiling as she made Amelia turn a little pirouette while holding her hand. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon – perfect for a wedding. The band was playing some pop music and there were some children playing around the dance floor. He laughed when Anna moved her hands and Amelia tried to imitate her, though not in the most coordinated sense.

"Having fun?" Robert's voice startled him, as he was too focused on the two ladies of his life. He took a seat beside John, adjusting his tux as he sat down.

"It's a beautiful wedding, Robert," John said, "and I say that knowing what I'm talking about. I was host to two already."

Robert laughed and patted his shoulder. "I'm still waiting for the third one, you know."

John let out a laugh. "We'll have to see."

Robert frowned, an amused smile playing on his lips. "What? You've finally changed the whole 'I'm not marrying again' speech?"

John simply shrugged, prompting Robert to laugh and shake his head; John had a feeling his friend had already drunk enough for the day. He couldn't blame him; he preferred not to think of what he'd be feeling the day Amelia would get married. Thankfully, that seemed a too far future for him to even wonder about.

"How was last weekend, in London?" Robert asked as he sat back on his chair.

"It was incredible. We had a great time, and Amelia behaved very well with Kate this time," John told him. "I'm thinking of maybe taking Anna along with us when we visit Kate in June. If she wants to, of course."

Robert shook his head. "She really got you, didn't she?"

John nodded unashamedly, turning to look at Anna and Amelia again. "She's different from the others. I think… I think she might be the one."

Robert seemed genuinely happy as he patted his shoulder once more. "Good for you, mate."

They talked some more, Cora joining them after a while and soon Anna was there too, as Amelia was too occupied playing with other children; Edith hadn't wanted a grand wedding and it was a more private affair, something John quite liked. He knew almost everyone invited. A few minutes later, Mary appeared by their table, inviting Anna to fight for Edith's bouquet. Anna laughed.

"I'll never get it. You're a giant next to me!" Anna joked.

This prompted Cora and Mary to insist a bit more. John chuckled.

"You can do it, Anna," he gently nudged her side. "Go get it."

She seemed surprised, but smiled at him. "All right, I'll do my best."

Five minutes later, she came back to the table laughing and with the bouquet in her hands.

* * *

"Dance this one with me," Anna asked him as the band started a slow song. She knew he wasn't very fond of dancing. "Please?"

He sighed dramatically but smiled. "I can't say no when you ask so nicely."

She grinned and shook her head, taking his hand. He followed her to the dance floor, where a few couples were already dancing. Anna laced her fingers together at the back of his neck and he kept his hands on her waist as they slowly swayed to the song.

"See? It's not that difficult," Anna teased him, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Maybe it's not," he admitted. "Are you enjoying the wedding?"

She nodded. "Yes. I've always loved weddings. First time I got the bouquet, though."

"I should do something about that, you know," he told her with a smile. "Now everyone's expecting you to get married first."

Anna laughed. "Don't tease a woman with these things, John."

"I'm not teasing," his tone was serious. "After my second divorce, I was sure I'd never marry again. You make me question that decision, Anna."

He noticed her smile falter just a bit, perhaps from nervousness.

Still, he was being sincere. Anna truthfully surprised him more by each day; helping him out with Amelia, being the wonderful person she was. His mother absolutely loved Anna, and even Kate was warming up to her. He was sure Vera would be his last wife. While he still thought it was rather early to take such a step with Anna, he could easily see it happening in the future; he could only hope she saw it too.

"If you maintain your decision of never marrying, I might have to change mine. You see, I do want to get married, in the future," she admitted, at last. It didn't take him by surprise. "So perhaps we can reach a mutual understanding?"

John smiled. God, he loved her.

"I suppose we can," he agreed, keeping his tone playful. "I can't very well ask you to let go of your dream of getting married when you've never been married. Though my aversion to the idea of marriage is based solely upon the divorce afterwards."

"Understandable," she went on with his game. He had to smile at that. "I can assure you that when I do marry I'll be absolutely sure that's what I want. I hope to avoid divorce at all costs."

"A mutual wish, then," John said with a smile. "We could get married and avoid divorce together. Think you can make it work?"

She grinned then, and it took him all he had not to kiss her in that moment.

"I think I can. You?"

"Well, you know what they say," he arched his eyebrows. "Third time is the charm."

He leaned down and captured her lips in a slow, languid kiss. Her eyes were glistening when he pulled away and looked into their depth, feeling happier than he had been in a long time. Perhaps it wasn't exactly a proposal, and perhaps it'd be a while until they really reach the decision of getting married, but he was certain that if these first months with Anna meant anything, he was in for a successful marriage. Much as his past marriages meant and he did learn from his mistakes, he always thought the decisions were taken in a rush and that they had always needed more honesty and more conversations about it; he doubted communication would be an issue with Anna. He loved how she always spoke her mind and debated things with him, and he loved how amazing and patient she was with his daughter. In that moment, he was surer about his life with Anna than he had been when he said 'I do' to his two ex-wives.

"I don't really care about the big ceremony, if you should know, for future references," she told him a minute later, as she rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed her hair. "Much as I like weddings, it's not something I feel like it's mandatory. I wouldn't mind a ring, though. I've always thought engagement rings were quite romantic."

He let out a laugh. "Should I start saving for a ring with a huge rock, then?"

She smiled. "I'm sure whatever you give me will be perfect."

Third time was the charm, indeed.


	19. Epilogue

**A/N: **Here we are, the end of the journey! Hope you've enjoyed this one with me! Thanks so much for all the kind reviews and alerts! See you in some next story - hopefully! :)

* * *

**Epilogue**

John opened the door slowly, careful to not make any noise. The house seemed silent and dark from the outside, and it wasn't much different inside; he took off his coat and walked down the hall, taking little notice of the pictures hanging on the wall. Quite a few had been added over the past two years – if one looked closer, they'd see many pictures of a growing little girl, the most recent one being her posing in her school uniform, the gaps of missing teeth not making her smile less brighter. There were other pictures too – a wedding, a trip to Italy, a family gathering, a picnic outside – just a normal family life.

John stopped by the living room entrance, noticing the television was still on, the movie's menu's calm song playing low in the background. Two sleeping figures were on the couch, oblivious to him watching. He had to smile; Amelia was resting her head on Anna's lap, her hair sprawled all over her face, a soft snore escaping her lips. Anna, on the other hand, was sitting on the couch, her head leaning perilously against the back of it; he knew she'd have a sore neck if she continued like that. He took a look at his watch and cringed slightly; it was later than he thought. His girls had probably tried to wait up for him, but as it happened every now and then, his father-in-law kept him more preoccupied with the poker game than with the time. John knew Anna didn't mind, but he had told them he wouldn't get home so late tonight.

He approached them and slowly, very slowly, slipped his arms behind Amelia's knees and shoulders to pick her up, something he had been used to doing a long time ago. Just as he lifted her from the couch, Anna's eyes jerked open, and she looked up alarmingly before blinking heavily. She yawned.

"What time is it?" she asked sleepily.

"A quarter to one," he replied in a whisper, "Sorry I'm a bit late."

She shook her head, getting up and stroking his arm as he adjusted Amelia carefully, to not wake her up.

"It's fine. Did you beat Dad?" Anna asked with a smile.

"Got some money from last week's loss back," he said with a wink, leaning down to give her lips a quick peck. "I'll just put her to bed."

Anna nodded, moving over to get the remote and turn the television off. He started up the stairs, smiling when Amelia snuggled into him, not even remotely awake now. He was lucky she was a heavy sleeper.

Five minutes later, he found Anna in their bathroom, already clad in her nightgown, standing in front of the mirror for her daily ritual of getting ready for bed; she was apparently more alert than before. He smiled as he unbuttoned his shirt and caught her eye through the mirror. She smiled back.

"She wouldn't go to bed tonight," she commented as he took his shirt off. "I think she's about to lose another tooth too."

He let out a chuckle and walked over to where she was standing in the bathroom, settling behind her and slipping his arms around her waist. She leaned against him, momentarily stopping her beauty ritual. He thanked God every day for having Anna in his life; she always took care of him and Amelia so well, and his expectations were exceeded even after they married, almost one year and a half ago. He leaned down and kissed her neck.

"John, I'm trying to get something done, here," she said, but didn't make any move to pull away.

He grinned and continued to pepper her neck and jaw with kisses. "I'm not stopping you."

"Yes, you are, and you know it," she said and he looked up at her through the mirror. Anna sighed.

"Why bother when we're probably not sleeping now?" he asked her in a low voice, sucking the skin of her neck softly. She hummed in appreciation.

He continued his quiet ministrations, unhurried at all. He did notice Anna seemed a bit distant and chanced a look at her. She seemed thoughtful.

"What happened?"

She sighed. "Nothing, just… Amelia's asked again."

"What?" they exchanged a look, and John understood what she meant with that. "Oh. She's asked _you_ this time?"

"John, she's nearly seven. She knows that if she wants a sibling I'll be involved too," Anna told him, "Caught me unprepared. I told her we'd see to that soon. Can you believe it?"

John grinned, squeezing Anna's waist and bringing her even closer to him.

"I've already told you I'm ready when you are," he kissed her hairline softly.

They had approached the subject of children long ago, even before they were married; he had felt that Amelia would be his only child, but that changed with Anna. He knew she wanted children – he knew that even though she felt Amelia was like her own child, she was already older when they met. But while Anna had always said she wanted a baby, she had been the one to hold it back, right after they first married. She didn't want to have to leave the studio for an undetermined amount of time and she always said she wanted them to enjoy their marriage first, and then think of children – perhaps wait two or three years until really trying.

"Would you really do it all over again?" she asked him quietly. "Now that Amelia is older and more independent? Would you do it again?"

He nodded without hesitation. "With you by my side, of course I would. I took care of that one by myself. Another one with you would be a piece of cake." She glared at him, and he chuckled. "Well, maybe not a piece of cake, but I'd enjoy it. Amelia's growing up so fast."

Anna nodded in agreement. She was strangely quiet this evening.

"You know, years ago, you told me you wanted to get married and have a family," he said softly.

She smiled. "We already are a family."

"I know," he agreed, "but if you ever want to have an addition to the family… we're behind you. Amelia and I. A hundred per cent."

"Oh, she's told me as much," Anna let out a chuckle. "She even said she didn't mind if it was a boy."

"See? A hundred per cent," he added, then kissed her soundly on the cheek. "When the time comes, it'll be fine. Don't worry."

She brought her hands to his, stroking them softly. "I know. I know I've said I'd like to wait a couple of years, but… with Amelia asking, I just can't help thinking that maybe we shouldn't wait."

He was taken aback by her determination, and she took advantage of his surprise to turning in his arms. Her words had been tentative before, but he knew the fire in her eyes – she wanted this. She had reached a decision, apparently. And now she probably needed his opinion.

"I mean, soon she won't be a child anymore… and I like to think she could enjoy the baby a bit. Play with her brother or sister while she's still young enough," she reasoned. "I'd have to stop dancing for a while, but that's no problem. What?"

He let out a chuckle; she had obviously put some thought into this, probably more than Amelia prompted her to. He smiled.

"I love you," he said simply, reaching out for her hands. "Come here."

He covered her lips with his, bringing his hands to her waist once again – this time untying the knot of her robe and slipping his hands around her waist, feeling her warm skin through the thin layer of her nightgown. She giggled softly when his fingers ghosted under her ribs, in a particular ticklish spot. He pulled her closer to him.

"What are you doing? I was trying to talk here," she vaguely complained, her hands finding their way to his hair and she kissed his chin and jaw softly.

"You said you didn't want to wait," he told her between kisses. "I'm not waiting."

"So you agree that we can start trying?" she asked him a bit breathlessly.

She seemed slightly nervous as she asked this and he had to smile – thinking back, the moment was kind of surreal to him. He remembered the first time he saw her, and how he never thought he'd ever have a chance with her, being so young and in a relationship. So much had changed since then; the dates, their wedding, their mutual life together, their life as a family. He couldn't help but think of how he and Kate had decided to have a child, years ago – how it had seemed like a one-sided decision. With Anna, it was never like that; their mutual respect and friendship made them much more than husband and wife. They were complete partners, and he knew she needed his total agreement on the matter.

"I agree," he said with no hesitation. "Completely."

He caught her lips in yet another kiss, deeper this time. He couldn't help but imagine a little boy, maybe, with Anna's kind eyes and stubbornness; or maybe another girl, another ballerina for his personal collection? Either way, he knew he'd be lost – he was lost long ago, when a pretty young woman shook his hand firmly in what had been supposed to be a boring party.

But he couldn't be happier.


End file.
